My Lowly Obsessions

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: Much respect and love goes out to NattieB who is GOING to beta this again and is my Goddess. Any errors, please forgive until then. Please let me know how I'm doing though, it's greatly appreciated.



Chapter 9


Rose controlled her rapidly beating heartbeats as best she could as she patted down her dress into a semblance of acceptance. She positioned herself before the door and prayed the Doctor was doing his own breathing exercises but then thought better of it. He had years of practice at evading authority; she just needed the years of practice the Doctor had. The issue of heavy breathing was moot unless, of course, there was the other nice, healthy exercise they loved to practice over and over...she derailed that thought in its tracks. Not the time. Taking one more look at the door and resisting the urge to check one more time under the bed for him, she took one last deep cleansing breath before she called out, "Come."

She stopped breathing as she caught sight of who 'He' was as he entered her room, accompanied by Donna, whose widened eyes seemed to be glued into a permanent look of shock. It was a good thing she held it; she would've lost it anyway.

'His name translates from the Mayan as Eldest Jon, Lord of Life, Air and Death, Rosetyler. He is the same as the John we left behind, but he will not know us here. We're from his future.'

'How appropriate. Wait!-What? I didn’t think the Maya were living in this time period, Einstein. They're from the future, right?'

'They are Atlantis's descendants and John was instrumental in their later development.'

Did this mean John time-traveled as well? She wondered, become more confused the more she thought about it. Could he have used Einstein to go back and forth and if so, why would he need the stones in the first place? 'I see,' she said, still confused. 'Thanks, Einstein.'

Jonshi Cimi-Ik Ahau stepped into Rose's room with an air confidence and authority that belied his current expression of disgruntlement of being awaken at such a late hour. Even in his irate state, Rose's nostrils nearly twitched as she smelled the ancientness that permeated his essence. Rose may have only known him as John, but she made a mental effort to remember his present unfamiliarity to them. It helped that there was no recognition in his eyes as he looked upon her and that was as it should be. She started breathing and settled her visage as one of respectful inquiry. She felt the Doctor mentally whisper, 'That's my girl!' She sent back a mental grin to him and did her best to ignore their link for the moment.

Jonshi looked her up and down with one eye open, finally resting his gaze upon at her face and so intense was it, she fought not to fidget. He would have been an intimidating good judge, she thought.

"You're from the land of Mu? Isn't it highly unusual of you to be traveling so far from your home, Priestess? I'm told you're here to study some crystals we've recently found. Why would they be of any significance to you? We haven't announced our findings on what research we've conducted!"

Rose bowed her head and bent at her waist, even as Einstein whispered her next words into her 'ear.' "We are immensely sorry we've called upon you at such a late hour, and we beg humble forgiveness, Elder. We have traveled very far but it is of great importance that we've come and I would like to explain. May I?"

She refused to look up for fear of seeing refusal in his gaze and kept her head down in apparent humbleness as he answered irritably, "Oh, stopping being so humble, Priestess! You knew I'd come as soon as you stepped foot upon my shores. Talk truth between equals, I command it!"

She relaxed her shoulders and let out a sigh. She knew that there would be some kind of confrontation before she could get the stones and how ironic was it that the very man that sent them on their quest was the one who had the power to stop it? If this was what had to be, then so be it, she thought. She raised her eyes and straightened and prepared to speak but Einstein took matters into its own hands. She felt her throat contract to speak of its own accord. Drat! She still wasn't used to that.

"We have a friend in the museum that sent word to us of your stones. This person thought it of interest to us, since we’re experiencing some significant crop issues concerning growth and the absorption of certain lights, Elder. We feel that once the natural light is concentrated and filtered through these new crystals, it would help us to grow more healthy crops. Of course, our revered learned minds are still working on an application on a more massive scale, but progress has been great on the subject. With what your people have studied thus far, they would be put to great use."

He stood back and folded his arms and considered her words. "Then why are you and your entourage here?” He snorted derisively, “The best you can do is pray over them."

Patience, she thought, as Rose gently smiled and nodded her head once, ignoring his snide tone. "That is correct, Elder, but there was a concern over the sincerity of the request and it was thought best that I and my people be sent to retrieve such stones. As the Law of One states, honor will be maintained through right action. Also, I’m one of the few that can hear the crystals sing outside of Atlantis. Blessed be," She added hastily, hoping it sounded right.

Jonshi's intense scrutiny made her lower her head again in respected and waited for what seemed like minutes before he finally made a noise in the back of his throat that she assumed was his answer and she looked up in response.

"Yes, well, that may be true. I’ve heard of people like you....these stones do have some special properties...." He muttered, as his eyes swept the room. It was at this moment his eyes landed upon the Atlatl staff propped against the wall and his reaction was instantaneous as his arm shot out and grabbed Rose, yanking her to him so violently a gasp escaped her lips. The abruptness of his actions startled Donna who’d been watching quietly in the background and the Doctor, who felt Rose’s shock and struggled to get out from underneath the bed but was hampered by its slats catching on his coat. Hearing that the Doctor was in some kind of trouble, Donna clenched her fists, furtively watched Rose and Jonshi and was preparing to jump him for what good it would do, but before she could move, Jonshi spoke, his words low and menacing, as if meant for Rose's ears only. It was a good thing the Doctor had such good hearing; he stopped his struggling as he listened to what Jonshi was saying.

"You, my dearest, are not of this land, not of this time period and definitely not a Priestess of the Law of One if you have that staff in your room. How did you manage getting it from me? You are a liar and a thief-"

"No!" Rose cut him off loudly and stared him down, the pain he was inflicting on her arm ignored as her eyes narrowed in anger. She felt her will turn to steel and was determined to take control of this situation and set this being in his place but knew she had to do it as diplomatically as possible. It amazed her that Jonshi’s future self was so different from his past. She sent a calming wave toward the Doctor even as she spoke to the man in front of her and managed to sound indignant even as she tried to pull out of his grasp.

"I'm neither, Jonshi, and I would appreciate it greatly if you would unhand me! You're hurting me!" The Doctor felt her convey her need for him to stay where he was and as much as he wanted to manhandle the git that hurt his Rose, he listened, even as he sent back his own worry for her through their link.

'Patience, love, the games' afoot,' she shot back and waited to see what John would do. The Doctor took a deep breath and listened. For a few seconds it was so quiet, he thought he could hear his own heartbeats but as soon as he heard Rose exhale, he knew the danger was averted. Unknown to him, the assessing look John was giving her was filled with suspicion.

"I would appreciate an explanation, Priestess. No one knows my hidden name. Are you reading my thoughts, too?"

Rose took a step back and folded her own arms, rubbing the spot he grabbed and resisted the urge to tap her foot. "As if you’d like me too? No. I don't like to intrude. It's a bit rude." He watched her for a few more seconds and debated on whether to turn her in to the museum guards or having her personally handled. She could see him weighing his options and she decided to try and be as straight with him as she dared and still not upset the time lines any further than they already were.

"I'm here for a very special mission that you sent me on, John. You need me to obtain those stones and to take care of them. You gave your staff to me, personally, to accomplish this." She turned and hoped he wouldn't tackle her as she reached for it. "It answers to me, now. Here, try it. I'm hiding nothing."

She handed the staff over to John and he took it, holding it gingerly as he inspected it. Within seconds, he seemed distant and she knew he was communicating with Einstein. She wished she could hear it but knew she really didn’t want to be privy to John’s thoughts if they were as vile as his present attitude. He suddenly handed it back, his anger dissipating like the wind.

“Your words are true. I’ll hand the stones to you myself but I can readily assume that you’re not going to tell me what it’s all about, are you? Time lines and all, right?”
The look Rose gave him was his answer and he only shook his head. “It’s as well. The crystals full potential is still unknown but if I sent you back to me to get them, then they’re very important and who am I to stop you? Rest this night and I’ll send my messenger to you with them by morning.“

He turned to go and Donna dodged out of his way, not giving them a backwards glance as he went out of the door and Donna followed behind enough to close the door behind him. She then placed an ear against it and heard his footsteps dwindle away into the distance. She turned around to find the Doctor had made it out from under the bed and all three let out a very audible sigh of relief.

“Oi! That, that was just too close, mate!” Donna placed a hand to her chest and tried to calm herself as the Doctor in turn gathered Rose in his arms and gave her a solid hug.

“Let me see, love.” He whispered in her ear and she let him inspect her arm. Seeing nothing, he was satisfied for now. “You look alright, but I still want to use the sonic screwdriver on it if you start developing a bruise. Would do for the Priestess of the One to look like she was man-handled, would it?”

Rose took back her arms and sat down on the bed in a huff, scowling in her anger. “The git! Who does he think he is? Doctor, do you think that was the same being we met in the field or another one entirely?”

He sat down next to her and put an arm around her, pulling her close. “From what I heard, he was the same, but a person can change with the years, Rose. We don’t really know what his role here is or what he’s up too. All I can say, get some rest and come morning, get the stones and we leave, simple as that. No fuss, no muss and no further explanations. The faster we get out of here, the better.”

Rose didn’t reply, lost in thought. “Rose?” He asked, and at the sound of her name she looked up and he saw the familiar look he knew too well. Trouble with a capital R. “Rose….no. No. You’re no thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you? Because, if you are, I’m not letting you do it alone. No way, Shiver and Shake. It’s you and me, all the way.” At Rose’s slow answering smile, the Doctor shook his head and then dropped it in mock disgust, but she could see a ghost of a smile twitching a corner of his mouth.

Donna looked between the two, trying to guess what was going on. “What? Wizard, the both of you! Are you going to tell me or not?”

“Donna, this is now a two-person mission. I need you and Jack to go back to the Tardis and stay there until we get back.” Rose instructed, throwing off the jewelry that banded her head and flung it to the bed.

Donna looked between the two of them. “No! Come on, we’re supposed to be a team. Don’t tell me you and Dumbo are going to go it alone in a museum? Even now, there are guards out there, with spears, and swords and, I don’t know, crystal ray guns? Are you daft?”

Her only answer was Rose standing up and undoing the sash at her waist. Donna turned to the Doctor and smacked him on the arm. “Doctor, come on, talk to her! The man said he was going to give them to us in the morning.”

The Doctor stood him and placed an arm around Donna’s shoulders. “Donna, he may be giving us the crystals in the morning, but are they going to be the right crystals? And, if they aren’t, can you imagine the reception we’ll get when we tell them that they aren’t the genuine articles?” As the truth of his words sunk in, he steered her toward the door and opened it, looking both ways. “Get Jack and go back to the Tardis, Donna. We’ll be fine,” he whispered.

Donna shrugged out from under his arm and ‘harumphed’ her dissent. “Where have I heard that before?” She turned to go but stepped back and stabbed a finger into his chest. “I’m only giving you both three hours. Three hours, Rambo, before me and Jack come storming after you and G.I. Jane in there, got it?”

The Doctor gave her a brilliant smile and backpedaled back into the room. “Crystal, Donna. Bye!” He shut the door before she could respond, leaving a very irate Donna to stalk back to her room.

“Freakin’ Wizards, both of ‘em!”

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: NattieB beta’d again and makes me feel appreciated. The move to the new home went well and we're still settling in. Thanks for reading and let me know how I'm doing!



Chapter 8


Rose was tired.

The sudden knowledge of pregnancy, the walk through town, the uphill climb to get to the museum to announce their presence, the resulting hustle and bustle of conveying wants and needs, including their purpose for the visit, and finally settling down for the night had taken it's toll. As all this wasn’t enough, the incessant instructions from Einstein had left her with a dull ache that made her temples throb.

Rose sat down on the bed hard enough to bounce, making her instantly regret the action as she cringed at the sound of her sash's jingling. The bells had been grating her nerves for at least the last half hour. The room, which the curators of the scientific museum had given her at such a late hour, was almost Spartan in appearance, though it served her needs.

Bed, nightstand with oil lamp and water glass, chair, and another dresser-type construct to put her extra traveling clothes (as if she had any) with a water basin and pitcher atop it. There were very little decorations to the room save for the light blanket that was covered with hand-stitched scenes of peacocks playing in water and the beige-washed walls had the sign of the infinity symbol painted above the headboard and was connected to the small Greek-style motifs that bordered the room . She sat Einstein between the nightstand and the bed and stared off into space.

"Einstein, you've been a great help getting us this far, but I really need a break. My brain is aching from tonight. Can you spare me some quiet and just warn me if there's trouble? I need some solid silence, if you don't mind."

'Of course, Rosetyler. I completely understand. Good night.'

"Thanks." She was thankful for the sudden silence. She reached up to rub her tired neck muscles and had only managed to grip it before a soft knock sounded at the door. A bolt of irritation shot through her. Now what? She tried not to let her irritation show as she called out, "Yes?"

The door opened and revealed Donna, holding a tray of fruit and cheese and a carafe of wine and Jack quickly followed, shutting the door behind them. Donna spoke louder than usual as she announced, "I have refreshment for you, my Priestess. Would you partake of it this night?"

Rose looked at her as if she were speaking a foreign language. Donna only frowned with consternation and tilted her head toward the door. "I can't be in here long, Rose," she whispered, "They're listening."

Rose tiredly nodded her head. "Of course. Place it next to the bed." Donna came forward and placed the tray on the nightstand as Jack watched. At Rose's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "I'm the guard. Guard, I am. Watch me guard. Guarding, I do."

Rose stared at him for a second, dead-panned. "Huh-huh. A fine impression of Yoda that is." She knew they had to keep up pretences and raised her voice as Donna had. "Thank you, Guard Jack. You are dismissed for the evening. Please attend to me in the morning after breakfast."

Jack leaned in, shook his head and whispered, "Rose, that's not possible. I'll have to be here before you 'break-your-fasting,' and you need to do your morning prayers before you break-your-fasting, right? Okay?" He pointed his thumb toward the door. "So get up, do the prayers, break your fasting and I'll be out here, guarding again, ready for our crystal mission."

Rose barely smiled, but her eyes narrowed in humor as she studied him. "You like this, Jack. You really like this, to the point you seem like you're drooling. Your Time Agent is showing."

Jack straightened up and gave her a brilliant smile even as he kept his voice low. "You betcha, doll! I'm in my element. The farther back in history, the better. The fact that we're here in Atlantis? Priceless! I'm loving every minute of it! Come on, Donna. You can't stay here too long yourself, you're just the servant. I'll see you to your room. Rose needs to do her evening prayers."

Donna turned and solidly punched him in his upper arm, which resulted in a surprised "Ow!" from Jack. "What was that for?"

Donna placed both hands on her hips and gave him a withering stare. "As if I'm not listening? 'Just a servant?' Next time I'm called 'just the servant,' I'll be sticking that lance you’re holding right up your favorite weapons hidey-spot! Got it?"

Jack's eyes widened at what she implied. "Look, I didn't mean anything by it. We all have rolls to play....Rose is the Priestess and the evening prayers-"

Rose rolled her eyes as she whispered loudly, "Prayers! Prayers! Let's pray we can get this done as quick as we can; that's my prayer for the evening. Shoo! See you both in the morning."

"You'll call out if you need us, right?" Donna asked, her concern apparent.

Rose's exasperated glare was her answer and it was enough to make Donna hurry out the door with very little help from Jack. "Okay, right then, good night, Rose, love." She glanced over her shoulder long enough to add with her characteristic smirk, "Don't let the crystals bite."

Rose watched the door close shut and let her eyes do the same, the darkness behind her eyelids a blessed relief. "Right...."

She leaned back with a sigh and lay down and sunk into it and was duly surprised the bed was actually comfortable. She was expecting a lumpy bed full of straw ticking to keep her up all night, but it felt like a down mattress. It was heaven as her body snuggled even deeper into the mattress. She had no energy to spare to say those expected prayers, undress or prepare for bed.

Thoughts of bed brought thoughts of the Doctor and she instantly pined for him as an image of his smiling face appeared in her mind's eye. It felt like it had been hours since their tryst in the woods off of Stonehenge, the falling through time, the meeting with John....their argument. God, if she just hadn't gotten so upset at his reaction! It all paled in comparison to the reality she was living now. If something went wrong with this mission....she stopped her train of thought as soon as it came. There could be no doubts, no second-guessing. She had to toe the line. That meant Rose Tyler, C & C, had to stay as strong and focused for as long as it took until they were finished and John was sent on his merry way. Even with her new focus her thoughts strayed back to the Doctor. She wondered if he would ever forgive her for being so angry with him.

She had to admit, he could be so infuriating at times. She wondered, with a bit of hope , if she lowered her mental shields, would she feel him? Would he want her too? Even after their disagreement this morning?

"Yes, you would and yes I do, even after our fight. "

Her whole body jerked in shock response to the Doctor's voice so close to her ear and she nearly smashed him in his nose with her forehead as she shot up into a sitting position and sputtered her response. "What!?!? What are you doing here?"

He bent over the bed and leaned on it with both arms so that he was eye to eye with her, giving her a brilliant smile. "Hello to you, too. Bored. Didn't want to stay home. So, now I'm un-bored, not bored, quite as un-bored as possible and no, I'm not angry at you anymore." He sat on the bed and in one smooth motion, grabbed her by her hips and hauled her closer to him so that he could keep is voice low. "I could never stay angry with you, Rose Tyler."

"You're not supposed to be here! If they see you in here with me-" She whispered she tried to shove him away. Their mission would be jeopardized if a Priestess of the One was caught with a commoner but he cut her off with a kiss that quickly became passionate despite her protests. She melted into his embrace as he deepened the kiss and she let him, her need for him outweighing protocol. His hands held her head gently as he explored her mouth like a man starving but eventually he broke away from her lips and trailed kisses to her nose and then to each eyelid and then traveled to an ear where his hot breath made her shudder with want and need. She didn't care if this was tantamount of the Pope making out, her hands raked over him and pulled him closer, her breath coming in short, excited gasps. As his lips came close to her carotid artery, he muttered, “What was that you were thinking about me a few seconds ago?"

She glanced over at the still silent Atlatl staff and half-heartedly whispered, "Einstein, you were supposed to warn me!" The staff stayed silent but Rose knew it still listened and was very much aware.

She redirected her attention to the top of the Doctor’s head as she ran her fingers through his hair as his lips trailed further down her chest. "What?" He glanced up and asked, a smile playing at his lips as he teased the top of her left breast, "I'm really not wanted?"

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. Could she tell him? She was so tired; she didn't know whether she had the strength to deal with the issue. “You know that’s not true. Take it back. Take it back right now, please.”

The Doctor raised his head and met her eyes, instantly serious. “Consider it taken. I know I’m not supposed to be here Rose, and I really understand the logic behind your decision. I was going to completely abide your wishes but you didn’t play fair with me." He rubbed her arms and glanced down at her abdomen. "Do you really think I’d let you be traveling in a strange land, unprotected….” He looked up and the intensity of his gaze made her stomach lurch in dire anticipation of his next words and unconsciously held her breath.
He leaned in until he was nearly an inch from her face and his tone softened to a hushed, reverent whisper as he continued, “carrying our child?”

Rose’s breath burst from her throat as her eyes widened in surprise. “How? How could you know?”

He closed the space between them as he rubbed his cheek against hers and hugged her to him as he kissed her eyelids again and then trailed kisses to her right ear. “Your tears, Rose. You left tears on my lips that told me your condition and you nearly put me in a panic. Do you honestly think I would abandon you anywhere in anytime in your condition?”

She shook her head and closed her eyes as the tears came back as the words spilled out of her in her anguish. “No...Yes! Yeah, I thought you would, there was a possibility…” at his pained expression she tried to explain. “For years you've fought anything domestic. Then I lost you and years of loneliness took it's toll, with 'what if's' haunting me. Then, we finally find each other...” She searched for the words, trying to explain, her eyes misting in her frustration. “You nearly lost me again and then you announced you wanted to marry me. I was so shocked then...happy-shocked, sometimes even now I can’t get my head around it. I look at you and...When we argued about children, at the time it was only hypothetical. I never imagined that I actually could be….until Einstein told me." She continued in a rush, the tears threatening to spill, "I didn’t know what to do, say, how you might react-”

He leaned back and ran has hands down both of her arms, making her focus her attention on him. “Rose Marion Tyler, you will be my wife and we are going to have this glorious, wondrous child and I couldn’t be happier!" He let go of her arms and cupped her face. "I. Love. You! Nothing, even Rassilon himself, couldn’t change that. You’re not alone and you’ll never be alone as long as I’m around. I'll never give you a reason to question again. I swear it on Rassilon's grave.” He hugged her again and held her tight and hoped that she believed him. His answer came in her gasp as she began to cried with happiness. She mentally whispered, ‘I do, love. I really do. I’ve just been so scared…’

He began rocking her and running his hands through her hair. “No more, Rose. No more.”

Only a few seconds had gone by when Einstein interrupted them as his words reached them both telepathically, giving them a start.

‘Rosetyler, I’m warning you now. He’s coming.’

“Who’s coming, Einstein?” She let the Doctor go and swung her feet around and out of bed, trying to pull herself together as she wiped the tears away.

‘One of the Learned Ones. He is coming to seek an audience and has already directed Donnanoble to awaken you. He wants to know the true purpose of your visit. He suspects.’

“Oh, no. No, no, no! Doctor!” She looked around in a panic even as the Doctor realized the room had no closet and was at least two floors from the ground. He looked back at the bed and their eyes met.

“Under the bed!” they said in unison and the Doctor quickly dived under even as Einstein whispered, ‘He’s here.’

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: NattieB beta’d again and makes me feel appreciated. The move to the new home went well and we're still settling in. Thanks for reading and let me know how I'm doing!



Chapter 7


After stepping outside, Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her tears forgotten.

'Ready?' she mentally asked Einstein; the staff warmed in her hand in affirmation.

'I will instruct you step-by-step, Rosetyler. Please raise your head and show all you are the most avowed Priestess of the Law of One in all of Mu. Let the residents of Atlantis know and your presence will be respected.'

'And what is the Law of One?'

'Not what, Rosetyler, Who. Your people call The One...God.'

A sudden icy feeling traveled down her spine as she heard the words of Einstein and wondered why the fact that God, this far back into time, would still be such a powerful influence to humanity. She knew they were at least 12,000 years into the past, well beyond the ancientness the Bible quoted at 6,000 for humanity, if memory served. So many people for years to come worshiped multi-theistic gods and to know that she was amongst people that believed basically as she did somehow unnerved her. Was the Bible actually true or was it just a derivative of what these people believed? She stopped her train of thought almost immediately and physically shook herself. Now was not the time to get philosophical. Too much was at stake. She reminded herself that she was a Priestess to the Law of One and prayed no one would have her trying to quote scriptureor her cover would surely be blown.
'I will instruct, Rosetyler. Never fear.' Rose could almost feel reassurance in Einstein's words.

She opened her eyes and looked around at the opulent homes and technology that represented the people of Atlantis so far in her planet's past. The sight of the volcano that stood in the background of the homes took her breath away. It had to stand at least four miles into the sky and she could see lights along its base in the far distance. It was early evening and the light was fading fast, blending into a soft evening dusk, but the natural light was being quickly replaced by phosphorescent lights mounted on lamp posts glowed pale green as far as the eye could see. The devices weren't the wooden burning torches of primitive cultures she was so accustomed too when traveling with the Doctor but their light was used the same as she saw people milling about and walking to and fro, finishing their business for the day.

If anything, this place looked like a street from a quaint Greek fishing village, but the presence of crystals negated the affect as she saw them mounted on rooftops making the houses of all kinds littering the landscape glitter like jewels. Were the crystals used as an energy source? Einstein answered, 'yes,' and his tone glowed of approval within her mind at her correct assumption. Each house was uniquely built and most were whitewashed brilliant white with stone roofs but others were gilded with brilliant mauves, reds and blues and some were even trimmed with what looked like pure gold, making those buildings stand out in the dark, the gold capturing the dwindling light like firelight to darkness. The breeze was warm as it brushed against her cheek and she caught faint smells of seawater, spices and flowers.

'Welcome to Atlantis, Priestess,' whispered Einstein.

Humanity was very much in attendance on this doomed island and she wished for all the world it was in her hands to save it, but like the Doctor once said, some things were mutable in time while others were fixed. She allowed Bad Wolf to brush her senses against the time streams, which only confirmed Atlantis's fate was very fixed their catastrophe wasn't very far off into the future. The knowledge that her actions was saving John somehow left a bitter taste in the back of her throat. It almost felt wrong, but she pushed the feeling back down and buried it and consoled herself to the fact that there had to have been at least a handful of survivors if the legend of Atlantis survived into her present. She looked out and felt nothing from the crystals she saw.

'Einstein, you're still helping me keep the walls up against all these crystals, right? I don't feel a headache coming on...'

'Yes, Rosetyler. You are protected. When the right crystals are attained, you will know.'

Rose smiled a small smile and was grateful for the little things in life. 'Thank you, Einstein.'

"Jack? Donna?" She said out loud, "Before we start, you need to know a few things. Number one, the staff I hold is sentient and I've named it Einstein, so if you hear me muttering-"

Donna answered her, "We know you aren't daft, Rose. The Doctor told me there was more than meets the eye to your staff."

Rose turned and looked at them both. Jack was smiling his usual confident smile but Donna's expected smirk was gone and in its place a concerned smile played her lips. "He told me just after you left infirmary-" Rose could see in her eyes that she wanted to say more but Rose cut her off and raised a hand.

"Yes, well...Einstein's been quite informative and is letting me know vital information to our little mission, so...Jack, do your part and be my guard and Donna, you're the servant."

Jack placed a hand to his hip where the ceremonial sword hung. "Don't I always, Doll? Your back is covered."

Donna placed her hands on her hips as she looked down on herself and back up at Rose. "Speak for yourself, Jack. You're not the one in the itchy peasant dress."

Rose gripped the staff harder as she suddenly felt intense concern from the Doctor for her through her link. Her voice became hard with determination as she said, "Let's go, shall we? I'll fill you in along the way."

Just as Donna asked, "Where?" Rose could feel Einstein's answer and repeated it to Donna. "We're going to the base of the mountain about 3 clicks-I mean, miles to the west. We need to get to the museum and that's where the crystal is at, but we'll be expected to lodge for the night, so..."

She began to take a step and they followed. She instinctively picked up the pace as she felt Einstein's insistence that time was growing short. Her feet were guided by Einstein even as she fought the urge to get lost down the unnamed streets in the semi-darkness of this wonderous city, her sense of adventure sorely curtailed. She cleared her throat and kept her voice low like mist in the darkness as she whispered, "Let's see, I'm a Priestess from the land of Mu far to the West..."




"Where are they?" He swung the monitor around with one hand even as the other was punching in instructions on the keyboard, his worry for Rose manifested in the furrows between his brown eyes.

The Tardis dimmed her lights and answered him, letting him know that his concern was duly noted and asked a question that she already knew the answer too.

The Doctor looked up into the light column that represented her engines, his exasperation evident in his voice. "And you thought I wouldn't? This is Rose we're talking about! She's as jeopardy-friendly as they come, and the fact she's pregnant! Of course I'm going after her; just need to make sure....."

His voice trailed off as he concentrated on task. After a few minutes, he realized everything was quiet, nothing was happening. The streets were quieting down and the one thing he knew about Atlantis was that it had very little crime. If anything it was more issues with politics that caused most of the trouble or a disagreement between the two religious houses, but murder and mayhem? No. Their religious proclivities didn't lean toward such baser instincts and motives. They didn't believe in multiple gods either, like the Greeks did, which was always curious to him but not enough to peak his attention the last time he was here. After a few more minutes of monitoring, he raised himself up from his bent position over the monitor and ran a hand through his hair, ended up rubbing his eyes, giving in to the situation.

"She's right, she's right, you know.....I'd go in, putting my nose in where I shouldn't, attract attention and, more specifically to them...can't have it. I have to trust her, trust them all so that they'll get in and get back as safe as possible."

He stepped away and sat in the jump seat, propped his crossed feet at the ankles up on the console, crossed his arms across his chest and waited.

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes....

"Aaaawww! Who am I kidding! Where's the fun in waiting?"

He got up and swung his brown coat on from where it lay across the ramp railing and stomped down the ramp. The Tardis dimmed her lights again and gave him the mental version of a raspberry.

"Ah, ah, ah! None of that now! I'll be back, I promise and I'll make sure Rose and Team Tardis are nice and safe and I'll do it all nice and quiet. They won't even know I'm there. I will be stealth itself to protect my family....." He grabbed the doors and opened them wide, looked off into the darkness and bejeweled city lights, their affect lost on him as he smiled and smile filled with old memories and new futures. "My family....I like the ring of that..." He turned one last time toward the ship. "Keep the lights on and don't wait up for me, Old Girl! We'll be back!"

The doors shut and you could almost hear the Tardis verbally respond in her mechanical hum, 'We'll see......."

Chapter 6

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: Much respect and love goes out to NattieB whose my beta’d and really keeps me on my toes.



Twenty minutes later with her conversation with the Doctor firmly placed in the back of her mind, Rose looked at her image in the mirror and approved.

With golden bands holding her long bangs in place and the rest of her hair swept up into a complex golden ponytail, she definitely looked the part of a regal officiate of Atlantis. A couple of tugs at her dress and sash that made the attached little bells jingle at her feet when she moved, she wiggled her golden sandals on and bent over, securing them mid-calf. She grabbed the staff off the bed and briefly wondered, as she was going out the door, how they were all going to access this museum of crystals without being detected when the staff abruptly warmed in her hand.

"What the-! Blimey!"

So quick was the temperature change, it forced her to nearly drop it in surprise. Its crystals along its shaft glowed gently and soft and she felt it brushed her mind in the slightest of gestures, as if it were waiting. Rose stopped, inspecting it top to bottom, wondering why it was activating now and then shook her head as she realized her thoughts must have activated it. She took a deep breath and decided to test it.

"What is the current size of the population of Atlantis?"

Its answer was quick as it whispered in her mind, '354,027.' Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she had in her hands. This was alien tech on a scale she hadn't seen or experienced in a while. This wasn't just for show, this wasn't a toy and this was more than just a knowing; it was telepathically speaking to her in very much the same way the Doctor or the TARDIS did. Was it learning from her? Or worse, was it dangerous?

'I am not dangerous. I only give assistance as needed, Rosetyler. I will guide you on this sojourn.'

She cocked an eyebrow at it and pursed her lips. "Well, we'll see about that. What rank am I in Atlantean society, from the clothes I'm wearing?" It answered back, 'High Priestess of the Temple of the One. Learned rank of quartz technology and usage in fields of psychometrics, energy channeling and wave transference necessary to healing.'

She felt the ancient words, "I bring life," bubble in the back of her consciousness and it made Bad Wolf stir in response to the information. She tamped it down, letting the golden light dim within her mind. "Great!” she said with an inward chuckle, “I've turned into a crystal-wielding psychic healer!" She stared at the staff in wonderment, wondering what else it may know. "Will I have trouble in accessing the stones John needs us to acquire?"

'No. With your station in this society, you can request that the stones be delivered to you personally and will be safe for you all. Fear not.'

Her brow furrowed in confusion as the staff's usage of all. "All?"

'Yes. You, your baby, and the others will not be harmed by the energies you will be exposed too. I, and Bad Wolf, will not allow it to pass. You are to be a visiting dignitary from the land of Mu in need of the stones for further research. Your request will not be denied." From its first words, Rose nearly went weak at the knees. My God! Did she hear that right? "Uh, wh-What did you say....say...about a baby?"

The staff glowed again and it pulsed as it answered her. 'You are with child, Rosetyler. You and your baby will not be harmed. I will protect.'

Rose plopped on the bed as her strength suddenly left her, even as she tried to process the information. Her hand instinctively went to her abdomen and she took a shuddering breath. Maybe she had always known deep down but the conversation with the Doctor about this now seemed suddenly very important and very real. She didn't know whether to be shocked, happy, or angry at the fact that she still had so much traveling to do with the Doctor and their argument still haunted her. Suddenly the what-ifs were way too crystal clear and the thought made her cringe.

"Are you sure? I mean, the Doctor and I...."

'Yes, I am sure. You are at two day's gestation and at the rate presented, you will show quickly and bear your child in due time.'

"Great! You're better than a dipstick pregnancy test." Her sarcasm was lost on the staff as she sat in silence. What was she supposed to do now? Her greatest wish was now a hindrance, proving the Doctor’s fears to be correct. How ironic could this get? Tears sprung to her eyes and she did her best to calm down, even as she felt the Staff stir in her hand.

'You are needed, Rosetyler. Your people have gathered in the Console Room and have their supplies ready for the necessary trip. The Tardis has prepared them as if they are embarking on a long journey.” Rose gathered her strength and stood moving towards the door, when she was stopped again, “A warning, Rosetyler? The Doctor must not take an active part in this scenario; he is your underling for now.'

At that, her tears went away as Rose nearly barked out a laugh but quickly suppressed it with a quick hand to her mouth. "Oh, God, one shock after another...this is going to be good. Really good. I'm the one to take point and The Doctor is second in command? This is too rich!" She quickly glanced at the staff.

"Why?"

'He knows too much and will not be able to suppress his natural inclination to share. This would be obvious to the inhabitants of this island and a problem if he were to undermine your authority as Priestess. He would quickly be considered blasphemous and this would lead to...problems.'

The Atlatl Staff actually made sense. "Yeah, quite."

She immediately envisioned the Doctor shuffling behind her with head down and mouth shut and the sheer improbability of it made her burst into laughter. In the midst of her giggles, she was brought to reality by a dull ache that started at her temples and radiated to her ears, then to the back of her head. It made her groan but after rubbing her temple for a second, the pain dissipated as quickly as it came. The words of John telling her she would be the only one to be able to listen to the stones echoed in her mind. It sobered her mood immediately. She looked to the staff and gripped its shaft. 'What was the pain…Staff?'

'Your physiology to crystal listening is fine-tuning itself to the nearness of all of the crystals on the island. There is such an abundance of energy-wielding crystals of many sizes so close at hand that they are and will continue to affect you. A warning? You are going to be...uncomfortable from this point on. I will do my best to dampen the affect as needed.'

She stood up and squared her shoulders as a hand unconsciously went to her stomach. "As long as I get the right stones, it'll be all in a days work, eh? Oh, well. Let's get to task, shall we?" She took a step and then realized something. "What can I call you? You have a name, right?"

"I do, but it is unpronounceable. What would you like to call me? I will abide by your will."

After a few moments, it came to her and she smiled. "I can't keep calling you Staff and Atlatl is a mouthful. I'll call you....Einstein, since you seem to know everything." She smiled at it and lifted it a few inches off the ground so that the room lighting made it's stones twinkle. "Yeah, a bit appropriate, that. Let's go, Einstein. We've some stones to steal...I mean, appropriate, for a good cause." She raised her eyebrows and stared heavenward, trying to feel the timelines for alternate realities, hoping she was doing the right thing, but her limited experience at doing this showed in her strained expression. Sometimes it came easy, other times....She stopped and sighed. "I hope."

***

"Where is her Ladyship? I don't feel like being trussed up in this all day!" Donna tugged at the modest saffron floor-length peasant shift she wore and tried not to itch. She looked down at her toes and wiggled them inside her authentic Atlantic footwear and sniffed. "There's something to be said about 21st Century fashion, ya know. At least I'm comfortable most of the time. This thing makes me feel like some dowdy potato sack tied in the middle."

Jack laughed and stepped to her side and touched her elbow, directing her attention at his attire. He looked like Charlton Heston in 'Sparticus' but from his easy smile, he didn't seem to mind. "Hey, you're still gorgeous in my book, Donna. Did I ever tell you about the time I was on Satellite Five and got beamed into a fashion show that changed your clothes while millions watched? If someone wasn't happy with the physique, I could've been lasered dead from not enough gorgeousness to fit the fashion. Consider yourself lucky."

"Lucky? You wouldn't catch me in a million years letting my birthday suit get flashed to millions of viewers."

Jack frowned, even as he gave her a small confused smile. "What? No, that's not the point! It's for wearing out-dated tennis wear! Thank goodness they finally put me in jean-clad, 20th century chic, but that was just before I had to blow the robots way so that I could get away, go after Rose and the Doctor and, do my part to save the day."

Donna raised an eyebrow and looked to the ceiling as she struggled to keep a straight face. "Oh...yeah. That. Daring do and all. Good show, mate. And how did you blow them away if you were in your birthday suit before you finally got into the 20th century jean-clad chic?"

Jack stepped forward and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "You really want to know? I hid a weapon-"

From the tone of his words Donna could only imagine where he hid it and didn't want to go there; not just yet. She held up a hand. "Okaaay! TMI, love. I get the picture." She turned to find the Doctor standing on the other side of the console and, noticing the look on his face and didn't like what she saw.

"Doctor?"

"'s alright. Rose will be out soon enough." He shifted his attention away from Donna toward Jack. Jack saw his perturbed expression and knew what it meant. He only looked like that when he and Rose had a tiff. Before Donna could ask any more questions, he stepped forward and placed a hand on the Doctor's elbow and steered him toward the doors of the Tardis; anything to get the Doctor's mind off of Rose and to the task, then he'd ask questions later.

"Do we have everything we need, Doctor? I hadn't taken the chance to get here when I was a Time Agent..."

The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the floor plating. "We're good enough, Jack. I've been here before. It was a bit further on in its future, mind you. Not too much to see, accept the fact these people were genuinely ahead of their time. I do believe we now know why."

Jack smiled and caught the Doctor's eye. "John?"

The Doctor smiled back. "John."

"I assume we're ready?" Both men turned at the sound of Rose's voice and their jaws dropped at the sight. She stood at the console, regal in countenance with head held high and hair adorned with gold highlights. Combined with her dress, it gave her an aura of glowing authority. Holding the staff only made the picture complete; as its gems gave off flecks of multi-colored brilliance that reflected off the walls of the console room and her white and purple dress and golden shoes.

Donna looked between the men and Rose and smirked. "Yeah, love, we're ready and it looks like so are you. Everything alright?"

Rose closed her eyes and for a second it looked like she was about to cry but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared and was replaced with a wall of authority. She shook her head once and said, "No, not really." She placed a hand on the console and brushed its surface with her fingertips as if lost in thought, but then she looked straight into the Doctor's eyes. "Doctor, you're going to have to stay here and monitor us. We need to make this as simple a recon mission as possible and if you go, my position as High Priestess may be compromised."

The Doctor watched her as she spoke, their previous conversation still fresh in his mind, and grew more concerned as she directed her last words to him. He took his hands out of his pockets and stepped forward, shocked. "What?"

Rose's shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes. She felt the Doctor brushing their mental link with more questions but she wouldn't let him in. 'Not yet. Not yet. Later I promise,’ she replied at his continued persistence, ‘Mission first,' she whispered back even as she felt the Doctor's closed response. He wasn't happy, not at all.

Donna cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"

Before Rose could answer, Jack beat her to it and replied with a smile, "Because, Donna dear, the Doctor knows too much and it doesn't look good for an underling to know more than the one who's in authority."

The Doctor looked between Jack, Rose and Donna, his frustration apparent as he dealt with the logic of the situation. "No, no. Not a good plan, I can't let you do that. You don't have the experience, Rose-"

"I what? I was Command and Chief of Torchwood when you showed up-"

"Who was flat on her back in a coma from tinkering with alien technology that nearly killed you if it hadn't been Kateri's selfish need to get to this side of the rift and keep you alive! Rose, please! Don't do this-" He stopped when he saw the steel in her eyes and knew he'd lost.

"I have too. You heard John..."

"And we don't know whether he's telling the truth or not!" He watched her as she stepped away from the console and he grabbed her arm as she passed him and Jack. She looked into his eyes then and he saw regret, love, pain and loss and realized his own eyes were staring back at him. His voice was low and intense as he asked, "Rose, what are you hiding? What's happened in the last 20 minutes that changed you so? Does this have anything to do with our conversation?"

Rose let a tear slip down her cheek as tried to control her emotions his words elicited. Not yet, not yet, not yet....She reached up with her other hand and took a fingertip and wiped away the tear only to brush it against the Doctor's lips. He felt as if he'd been punched in the gut by her reaction even as he snaked his tongue out to taste its saltiness and she took that moment to break away from his hold on her. He let her as his tongue started tasting something in her tears that that shouldn't be there.

"Doctor, we don’t have much time. Jack, Donna? Come on, we've got to go."

Without another word, the group stepped down the ramp and followed Rose out. Donna gave the Doctor sidelong glances as she puzzled at the expression on his face as she passed him. Her tears hadn't been that good, had they?

Just as the door closed he finally realized what it was he tasted and was utterly and completely shocked. He stumbled back against the railing and let it bear his weight as stared at the Tardis's doors. No wonder she'd reacted the way she had in the bedroom. His Rose was pregnant! Really and truly, completely and beyond question. He was going to be a father!

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: Much respect and love goes out to NattieB who beta’d this again for me when she got the time really keeps me on my toes.



Chapter 5


Anger. Rose was so angry she could have spit fire; but it was more than that, she was Tyler angry. The kind of anger that could nip the heads off of errant boyfriends and make store clerks cower in their smocks.

Her feet carried her away from him, away from the test results, away from the fear of his rejection, away from the look on his face that went beyond his shock, it was…denial. He really never anticipated children or maybe, he thought that children weren’t possible. She was full Gallifreyan, for God's sake. Grrrrrrrrr!

How could he not assume that with the extent of her mutation, children weren’t possible? Granted it still takes two to tango between the sheets, but after being away from him for so long, the sex was nothing more than a consummation, a reconnection of their lives that had ended so abruptly. She needed him, Bad Wolf needed him, and so what if children came along…the life they’d create would be so precious and so loved. She would view it as a gift, not a hindrance, but wouldn't he feel the same? There was no one else she was meant to spend the rest of her lives with and he loved her, she knew and this couldn’t be denied. Rose didn’t question his love, she questioned his sense of reality…was he in denial concerning her and what she now was? Or was it more of a denial of what her mutation represented? What piece of information was she missing? There was so much of his life he still hadn’t told her about and she respected the fact that it might be too painful. But if there issues were about children, what else was he hiding?

Her blood pounded in her ears and tears she cried in anger and frustration were scrubbed away as she found herself staring at the door of her old room. She didn’t remember getting here, but here she was. She closed her eyes and made her herself calm down only to take a deep breath. She opened her eyes and contemplated the door handle. Should she go in? What would she find? The twenty year old girl that had stepped out of that room had lived a lot of life in the five years since and she wondered whether she even wanted to travel down memory lane.

Her fingertips rested against the handle and before she could think further, she turned it and shoved it open and the sight that greeted her made her breath stop. Her makeup, clothes, trinkets from her travels were all where they should be, in their own place- organized and coordinated. She wasn’t coordinated. The sheets and bedding was made up and the pillows plumped, the bright pink of the duvet wrinkle-free and still fresh from the day she left it. She remembered leaving the bed unmade and disheveled. This wasn’t her.

“Old girl, did you do this?” She whispered aloud. The lights dimmed as the Tardis answered her, her negative response apparent. “He did this?” The lights immediately brightened and Rose sniffed, the tears threatening to flow again as she realized what this meant. As much as the Doctor travelled in time and space, past and future, his own personal past he wouldn’t or couldn’t let go.

She could easily imagined him tidying everything, dusting her nightstand, touching her clothes one at a time as he hung them in the closet, defying his own words that he never looked back, always onwards. Was it because he hoped that they would see each other again, or had he been in denial and her room turned into a monument to her memory? A laugh that came out more like a hiccup issued from her lips as she acknowledged the irony of it all….he wished her to go on living, have a fantastic life and he just…lived.

“What are you looking for, Rose?” The Doctor’s voice was quiet as he stood in the doorway, his face hidden by the lighting from the hallway but his shoulders were stooped as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. His voice carried a tinge of trepidation and maybe fear and it made her turn where she stood, her body language screaming defense.

Unconsciously, her fists balled at her sides as she answered him, her voice conveying all of the anger she felt. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? I have only one question. Why? Answer me…why?”

He stepped into light, and for once, she saw him…old. It wasn’t just in his eyes, he carried the weight of his age in his step and how he held his spine. What the hell was going on?

“Answer me, Doctor. Why? You’ve kept my things, right down to my last tube of lipstick. My room isn’t my room anymore, is it? It’s just a shrine to Temple Use-to-be Rose. You told me to have a fantastic life because you really thought you’d never get me back! And, to put the cherry on top the cheesecake, you never thought I’d come back more whole than I had a right to be! Remember, I didn’t change me, the Tardis did!”

He stepped past her and sat down on the bed, placing his head in his hands as he cradled them on his knees. “Ancient history, Rose. You changed because you took in the heart of the Tardis and nearly died, and I died to keep you alive. You’re right.”

“Talk to me Doctor. Why am I right.’ Her question was more of a statement and she stepped over to the chair next to the nightstand and dragged to the bed. Placing her feet on the edge of the bed, she crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly.

He sat back and dropped his hands in front of him. “I never thought I’d get you back. You were just one more in a long list of those that left me. I never wanted to remember the others, though; I only wanted to remember you. You were right there next to my hearts, right next to the…the children that I had, that I murdered in the Time War.”

Rose regarded him then and tried not to let her emotions show on her face. “Yes, I figured we’d be bringing up the Time War. It always comes back to that. You stopped the Daleks the only way you knew how. The Delta Wave you created wiped them all out. I gathered that much after cobbling together what little you didn’t say between what you did. You just didn’t realize-“

“I should have!” His anger was low, smoldering and he strained to control himself. “That’s the point, Rose! I should have known it would kill everyone and everything in its path! I was married then, so many lifetimes ago…I had two beautiful children whose faces still haunt me…then there’s Jenny….”

She raised an eyebrow at that and her questions about Jenny played with her lips but somehow she couldn't get the words to form. She watched him as he learned forward and reached for her hands and she gave them, even as he dropped his head to touch them to his forehead, refusing to meet her eyes, his voice filled with pain, longing and regret, doing his best to plead his case. “Rose, please, just give me some time…that’s all I ask! I still want you, I still need you, and I still want to marry you…”

“But now, you got to deal with the possibility that history might repeat itself, don’t you? The pain of loss is starting to outway the benefits of living?” Rose’s voice was quiet as she spoke without malice or judgement, but the Doctor could hear the steely resolve and begrudged understanding and knew he wasn’t forgiven.

She placed a hand on his head and forced him to lay it in her lap and he was momentarily grateful. He didn’t want to see the truth in her eyes just yet. She ran her fingers through his hair and stroked it almost absently as she came to her own truth, and it took more moments before she could voice them.

“Doctor, my love,if there’s anything you taught me that helped me to survive in the other universe, it was to believe in myself, have faith in those that you trust, and history tends to repeat itself, but only if you let it.”

At that moment, the Tardis materialized a magnificent white and purple gown with tiara, golden sandals, and golden belt, similar to what John had been wearing when they left him back on the empty savannah.

“Looks like duty calls. Thank you, old girl, you have impeccable timing.” She ran a hand through his gorgeous hair and realized that in her hands lay the body and soul of a man who was still broken, whose soul was still withered by loss, even though he had her, his Rose a hairsbreath away. When would love be enough? Words her mother taught her so long ago whispered across her memory and without realizing it, the words passed her lips and into the ears of a soul in pain.

"Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

She moved her feet off the bed and the Doctor was forced to sit up and he watched her, wondering what she was going to say next. She refused to meet his eyes, purposefully concentrating on the gown before her as she bent to inspect its hem.

Without looking at him, she spoke and the Doctor could hear the Commander-in-Chief steel in her voice. “Doctor, I may have not lived to see the wonders of the universe or the horrors of war or begin to know what you’ve seen and been through. But understand, I’m not judging you, nor am I condemning you. When you asked me to marry you, I wished for nothing else but to be at your side…”

“And now? What does Rose Tyler want now…?” The Doctor could help it, he was on the defense now and his body language betrayed him.

She stood up then and looked him in the eye. “The possibility of children changes everything. I want your trust. Your word...your support. For all I know, I could be pregnant right now and I really don’t know whether I can trust you to be by my side or whether you’ll up and run. I can only hope you are and hope you see this as a gift. But, I don't know...you could say I’m in a very lonely place right now, knowing what you’re capable of, both good and bad. I know there’s the possibility that you could up and run, and I wouldn’t stop you. If I am carrying new life, I’d rather it know the glories of joy and hope than allow it to know pain and regret." She put the dress down and ran a hand through her hair. "I forgave you along time ago, but can you forgive yourself?”

Her words cut him worse than anything parting his flesh and he closed his eyes and swallowed. “Rose…”

She watched him then and her features softened at the look on his face. “Doctor, I love you. I'm not trying to hurt you, but it's time for a little truth, right? I'll give you time; we're both Gallifreyan...time's all we've got, isn't it? But we've got a job to do and time's ticking. We'll talk about this later, okay? Deal?”

“Rose, I can take you to the Infirmary. We can run some tests now. Let’s find out whether you are or not before we start…”

The gown Rose had picked was gripped so hard, she nearly rented the seams, but she controlled herself and kept her voice low and steady as she spoke. “We'll have time later...I need to get ready and get dressed so that we can get this done. OK? Go on, tell the others I'll be out soon.”

He took a step back at her response and raised a hand toward her, only to drop it as he realized the futility of the gesture as she turned her back and started preparing. He continued to back up until he was outside her door. He shut the door and stood blinking at. He had the sudden feeling that reality was going to go really wrong for him if he couldn't see it Rose's way. Rose was so very right, though. He never contemplated the reality of new life between them in all of his long life and the loneliness of being the sole survivor of a whole race played heavy on his being. His ninth self had handled very well at all until Rose came along. He had learned so much from her and now...she was asking him to contemplate normal life. Domestication. Kids and travelling and mortg-he still couldn't say the word. But...Marriage let one be normal, right? He asked her to marry him because the loss of one Rose Tyler hurt him more than he'd ever admit and now the reality of children...progeny...seeds of his loins...they'd be exceptional, wouldn't they? His sudden smile at the thought dimmed as another came to being. Could Rose really think he'd never want children?

He slowly raised a hand and brushed the surface of the door with his fingertips. His pained whisper reached no ears, but it didn’t matter. “Rose...I won't run...I can't. You can trust me, you've got me, all of me, for all eternity...I'll make sure you know it, if it's the last thing I do." He dropped his hand and walked away, his steps becoming lighter as he went off.

Aftermath of Fixed Chaos-The Anniversary


Author’s Notes: Well, being Action/Adventure’s mistress, today is my one year anniversary at Teaspoon and I had to celebrate. I didn’t do anything else except to write a little ditty to celebrate. As for Junior, just think of him as a young David from ‘Taking over the Asylum.’ Takes place right after ‘JE.’ This is a bit dark starting out, but like every cloudy day, you need the clouds to appreciate the sunshine. This is also a thank you for my fans, who’ve stayed with me all this time. Bless your hearts for all of your reviews and thank you. I love you guys!
Rating: PG13, unbeta'd to give my Goddess NattieB a break. This one is for you girl!



The Recent Past

The Doctor stood at his console, staring into nothingness. He was at present the sole occupant of his Tardis. The adventure of one half hour ago was now just a memory, the echoes of his friends' voices and laughter long gone. His Tardis somehow felt hollow and it reflected his soul perfectly. Within mere minutes, his ship had been full of happy jubilant voices of friends sharing victory, and now...There was no Donna Noble, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, no Sarah Jane Smith, no Mickey Tyler, no Jackie Tyler and....no Rose. Again.

( rest of the story this way )

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.

Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!

Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing

Author’s Notes: Much respect and love goes out to NattieB who will beta this again for me when she gets the time and keeps me on my toes.



Chapter Four

Rose awoke to the smell of hot coffee and something consisting of eggs, wheat, brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup with just a touch of powdered confectioner’s sugar. She groaned her delight at the prospect of French toast and rolled over to find the Doctor smiling maniacally two inches from her face.

“Hello.”

( rest of the chapter this way )

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG13 for now
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: I am so sorry that this took so long but the research is complete and I hope you enjoy. Much respect and love goes out to NattieB who, despite her harrowing schedule, was able to beta this for me with one eye open.




Chapter One


“Oooooh, not again……” the Doctor groaned, as he slowly fought for consciousness and became aware of something scratching his cheek. Left cheek to be precise, and he felt hot, as in ‘I’m-in-the-desert’ hot.
( rest of the chapter this way )

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.
Rating: PG13 for now
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing
Author’s Notes: See, I told you I was inspired and all those lovely reviews was just the icing on the cake! I hope you enjoy this latest installment and again, my personal house Goddess NattieB beta'd this for me, bless her dearly!


Chapter 2

They all heard a gentle tinkling of bells and Rose’s severe hearing sensitivity disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived. Both men also felt their headaches instantly disappear and, at the same moment, Donna regained consciousness. Standing, with some help from Jack, she shook her head as if waking from a long sleep.

“It’s alright, Donna. You’re okay,” the Doctor gently spoke, even as he held her elbow.
( rest of the chapter this way )

Premise: This is continuation of 'Angels in all the Low Places' and '.Com.' The Doctor, Rose, Donna and Jack are called upon for a desperate mission to save the last of the Ancient Ones. He must now ascend after his mission with reviving Atlantis for the third time has failed, and there's no one more capable to help him than the Doctor.

Rating: PG17, Yes, loves, it's upped; it may be mild but still adult!
Tags: Action/Adventure, Romance, Swearing

Author’s Notes: Much respect and love goes out to NattieB who will beta this again for me when she gets the time and keeps me on my toes.



Chapter Three

The Tardis settled after a surprisingly gentle landing. Donna and Jack looked at the Doctor, whose hands were at his sides and Rose, whose hands were holding the staff. After a moment, all eyes turned to the staff as it dimmed its energy, its task now complete. Donna and Jack, with raised eyebrows and passing glances, practically shouted ‘I told you so,’ but Donna did one better. She smirked. Noticing the looks on their faces, the Doctor was a bit perplexed. They’d just travelled by Staff!

“What?”

“How about letting Rose pilot from now on, Sunshine? She’s got you beat.”

“What? No…not fair! She had the staff….”

( rest of the chapter this way )

Chapter 14-Epilogue

Author's Notes: Well, it's been a long hall but this story is about as complete as I can make it. Thanks goes to NattieB again for being the Beta-Goddess that she is, and NattieB? I'll be sending along that offering of toner and paper as soon as the stars align. Right now all I can only offer is a bit of chalk in gentle supplication for all of the hard work I put you through. In the meantime, I'm thankful that everyone has enjoyed this thus far and there is a bit of a surprise at the end. All that I ask is to review me a bit and let me know what you thought for overall performance. A "love it!" works just as much as "You've GOT to be kidding me!?!" Thank you so very much and I hope you enjoy........




The atmosphere and resulting conversation during the two and a half hour ride back to the TARDIS was awkward.

( rest of the chapter this way )

Well, I haven't been near writing the epilogue like I wanted too because I left on an impromptu vacation and I'm currently in gorgeous Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Home to fantastic mountain views, clean air, small town charm and I'm house hunting. My own home isn't ready to be sold as of yet but here we are, just my Signif Other and I, sans petulant teenagers.

It really feels weird. No home, no kids and no distractions, other than the TV, what food I want to eat next and what house to look at next. My S-O doesn't realized what needs to be done to fix up a home to sell and that it needs to sell first before another house can be bought, but we have a lovely real estate agent who is being kind and patient and maybe, just maybe, something can be done to work this massive miracle we need to allow all of this to happen.

In the meantime, I love my S-O for allowing us to have a few blissful quiet days in the mountains and soak of the fantastic nature before we have to go back to Baltimore and deal with the smog, traffic, people and urban life in general.

Other than that, I'm doing my best to to finish the epilogue and actually get something done on a couple of other projects. I really wish I could get paid to do what I love but then again, I can always win the lottery, right? LOL

Chapter 13

A/N: I present this to you unbeta'd and with both eyes closed (peaking!). This is the DUM- DUM-dummm, smut chapter, full fledged but as tastefull as I could make it. Any
corrections done by Goddess NattieB will be instantaneously update, ASAP. And to All
the Druidic people and situations in this story, well. I did my best to research and
make no offense to anyone. All I want is for everyone to feel the love and Blessed Be.



"No, really, I'm not a god, not even a demigod. This is just an experimental ship and this is a screwdriver. See? Granted, it's not what you use too, it just doesn't work on wood. Oh, well, I guess you could say that about the screwdriver and the ship, eh? It does the job. Would you like me to show you? Take apart your torch? No, well, I guess not, you wouldn't be able to see in the dark now, would you? Darkest before the dawn, yes. No. Ah, well, something went wrong and here we are. Nothing to see. No. I-well it's Samhain, isn't it? Just call it the Great Pumpkin. Geamhain? Oh, I'm sorry; used to be up on these things...then call it the Great Easter Egg. No? Really? Well. The authorities have already been called, so there's no need to call the police, everything's in hand...."

Rose drifted to consciousness with the Doctor's nearly strident voice in the near distance and a gruff stranger's voice answering and she couldn't cared less, though the smile she had on her face spoke otherwise. She was laying on something soft and warm and from the pressure on her legs and waist, she must have been covered with some kind of blanket. Her heart swelled with love at the thought that he was thoughtful enough to cover her with a blanket, since the air on her cheek was chilled. Chilled air? A strange male voice? Wait, weren’t they in the Void ship?

She cracked an eyelid and saw branches above her head in the moonlight with the brilliant stars of the Milky Way shining down at her from the crystal clear night sky. My God, she had done it. They were home, but was it the right Earth? The right time period? With the thought barely registering, her world started spinning and she closed her eyes to the resulting nausea and unconsciously gripped the ground with both hands in an unconscious effort to stop herself from spinning. After a few seconds, she realized she wasn’t spinning, it was the world. The Doctor’s words came back to her from so long ago, “I can feel the planet spinning a thousand miles and hour…’

She felt her hands tingling and was able to lift one to within her field of vision and saw that it glowed yellow. She suddenly felt renewed as the energy brought new life and beloved Earth air to her lungs and she inhaled deeply, the energy making her nerves tingle and she could suddenly taste wood and mold and dried leaf on her tongue. So this was how Bad Wolf was going to treat her here? She must be in the right universe and the right Earth. She might as well be a full-blooded Gallifreyan with all the bells and whistles…wait, she was, wasn’t she? She had to be. The thought made her smile and put her head back, letting out a puff of joy-filled breath into the chilled air and watched it disappear into the night.

Looking about, the moon cast a glow, making her surroundings appear as if they were suffused with their own ghost light. She heard a jangle of a cow bell and wondered how close to a farm they had come. She prayed they hadn’t hit anything on the way down. Somehow she knew that wouldn’t have happened. Bad Wolf gave life. She didn’t take it unless it needed to be taken for the balance of the universe held sway, no the other way around.

"I love you." She remembered. The words had been said with quiet surety and she knew the Doctor meant it. It still didn’t stop the small shiver that went down her spine with the impact those three simple words conveyed.

She turned her head at the sound of his voice and found the Doctor a few feet away and closing fast, crunching the leaves as he advanced with a cup in his hand and a smile on his face. Gorgeous!

"I heard that. You're still too weak to keep your barriers up or you wouldn't've broadcasted so loud and...I am, aren't I?" He replied cheekily, giving her a grin that melted her heart.

"Yeah." Her answer was soft and nearly whispered, but she hoped her smile was strong. He raised an eyebrow and stopped in mid-stride two feet from her, looking down on her with an incredulous stare.

"What? No 'shut up?' Ms. Rose Tyler, I do believe you're mental. You agreed with me. That proves it! Your getting a once over when we get back to the Tardis."

He bent down and sat next to her and, once he placed the cup at a safe distance on the ground, he grabbed her and gently maneuvered her into his lap so that he had her in his arms, tucking the blanket in tight to her sides.

"I'll show you mental when I’m ready, and we’ll see who gets the physical first.” She looked off into the night. She could discern the faint outline of the ship, but nothing else.

Her bit of flirting forgotten, their current predicament weighed heavily upon her. “Are we in trouble?" She pointedly looked at the stars and he knew what she meant but stopped her next words with a finger to her lips as he made her lay her head against his shoulder. He guided the cup to her mouth and she drank, trying not to drink too fast even though it tasted fruity-delicious. She did remember her field training, and despite her healing, precautions counted.

"No. We're home and we're about when we're supposed to be. As to where.....we've crash landed a few hundred meters away from Stonehenge and a local Druid is trying to call me a God-something and a few other names since we interrupted his preparations for a fertility ritual. I was about to tell him that I thought that was illegal, but since we crash landed illegally, I figured it was a moot point. Don’t be surprised if he’s still lurking in the shadows." He pointedly looked off into the bushes.

"Where's he at now?" Again, without thinking, she tried to lift her head to see but was unsuccessful. The Doctor hand held her head in place as he gently admonished her. "Eh, there, there now, he’s gone. No worries." He bent and kissed her forehead.

"Your strength will come back. That wasn’t just water I gave you. Give it time. Mr. Local’s too busy calling the authorities. He won't be back for awhile. Since the ship has zero mass, it's impossible for local radar to pick it up. Torchwood or U.N.I.T. will be along soon and then they can take it from there. Ooooooh...."

"What?"

He looked at her, his brow furrowed with worry and something else, but Rose couldn't tell. "Donna. And, Zach. They'll probably be along soon...explanations and all."
"Donna's staying, right? She's your current companion..."

"Don't Rose.” His tone was so drop-stone serious.

“Don’t what?” It was too early in the morning or, was it too late at night? for guessing games.

“Donna is my best mate. She…well. I just feel that, ah-There are a lot of words to describe her but she cares about me only as a friend. You’ve nothing to worry about with coming home to the Tardis and all.”

Rose raised a hand to his cheek and gently raked the day old beard that had barely broken the surface of his skin. “I can’t wait to meet Donna, Doctor. She sounds...interesting. And yeah, the Tardis is home. I can’t wait to get back and we can all go travelling.”

She could see him scrubbing a free hand through his hair as he searched for words. “Although, there’s the matter I forgot to mention with getting her a pair of new knickers…”

“What!?!” Well, this wasn’t what she was expecting to come out of his mouth.

“It’s a long story, really. The short of it is, when you, or Bad Wolf, came to rescue me in the dungeon, Donna had already been negotiating my release with the king and the price was-“

“Knickers.” If she could have laughed she would have but tears came to her eyes from the insanity of it all, only the Doctor misconstrued her reaction.

“Rose, it’s alright. I’m fine, she’s fine. I just owe her a decent pair of knickers.” As usual, his voice was deadpanned, clueless to what was obviously a very funny situation. What little strength she gained was lost in the giggles she couldn’t contain anymore.

“Knickers for release? What, the king needed a pair of knickers because he was fresh out or just to restrain himself? What, were they cotton or lace? ” She was actually finding the strength to draw her legs up as she curled in his lap from her mirth. He started laughing himself but managed to answer her. “They were red and black, made of silk and lace, his rabbit-type fur would’ve chafed…”

The vision of a bunny rabbit standing roughly six feet tall wearing sexy negligee nearly sent her over the edge but she had to ask, “Did he want the negligee to go with it?”

“I-you know, I don’t know. Donna never said. She’s been pretty adamant about it, though, wanting me to go back to Harrods.” Gods, he missed this. “Ask me his name, go on, ask me.”

She calmed down enough to look up into his eyes and smilingly ask, “What was his name?”

“Well, I never actually met him, but the way Donna pronounced his name; it loosely translated, as Chief Bad Wolf.”

Rose retorted. “Ha! Better as Chief ‘Bad-Wolf-Standing-with-Hot Momma-Negligee!!”

With that, her laughter pealed off into the chilled air and he laughed along with her. It took a few minutes before either one of them could calm down enough to breath. As her giggles subsided, he took a finger and wiped away the tears that streamed down both sides of her face. His smiling visage sobered as he did, and the change she witnessed by the fading moonlight wasn’t lost on her.

“She’s stood by me, Rose, even though looking for you was as mental as it comes and, somehow, I knew I’d find you and so did she, because she never told me to stop. She even suggested the way that found you. Well, eventually found you. She’s brilliant that way.”

“Then, don’t let her go…and, hold me tighter.” She raised a hand and rested on his cheek. She knew her tone was slightly commanding but she didn’t care.

“I am.” She could feel his arms holder her closer and the morning sun was slowly eating the darkness of night into the dingy gray of early morning and it made the whites of his eyes stand out in stark contrast. The hunger she saw there hit her gut and made her clench her thighs in response. From the way his nose twitched and the briefest flicker of his eyes downward at her slight movement…he knew, and she knew he knew. Her own nostrils flared and there it was. The scent of a woodsy musk and cinnamon and of something so subtle, she’d mistaken the smell for some residual cologne he must have been wearing time and again when she was younger, running for their lives. But now…they weren’t running.

There weren’t any life or death decisions to make and there wasn’t fear. Her future was suddenly very clear. There was the Doctor wanting her and needing her as much as she needed him, on her own Earth in her own universe. She could finally see that there were no walls and no barriers of any kind to stand in her way and her decision was made lightningly clear.

“Yes.”

He cocked an eyebrow and the side of his mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. “Excuse me?”

“I said, yes. I will marry you.”

He regarded her quizzically, as if he expected her answer but he needed more. “Why...”

“Why did I hesitate? There were many reasons, Love, but right now, every reason has just been nullified. Puff, gone, and I’ve given you a fat walloping ‘yes.’ Don’t question me, just take it in stride.”

He smiled. “Now you sound like me.”

She twirled some of his hair between her fingertips, slowly drawing him closer to her lips. “Well, you know what they say about old, married couples…”

He smiled wide and lowered his lips to kiss her and she raised her chin to meet him. Their lips connected and it was as if an electrical circuit completed itself as they both felt the sizzle of carnal energy hit their groins and travel down to their centers and suddenly neither one could get enough. Rose couldn't help herself, as for the Doctor.....

The Doctor dropped the cup, forgotten, as he used both arms to bodily lift her and snog her thoroughly, forgetting they were in the middle of Salisbury Plain, hundreds of meters from Stonehenge and one of the locals were supposed to be calling for help on his cell phone. They didn't have to be doing restoration now, did they? It was only 5:23 am and 37 seconds, and it was too early in the season for fertility rights...

His thoughts became completely unraveled as he suddenly felt hands rolling him on his back and those same hurried, hungry hands tugging at clothes and belt. His long coat covered what his trousers weren’t and was grateful for small miracles. He felt her lips leave his and opened his eyes in time to see Rose stand long enough to shed her pants faster than he thought humanly possible. The sight of a bottomless Rose nearly took his breath away, but his tattered decorum fought to be maintained.

“Rose! For Rassilon’s sake! We’re going to have visitors here any moment! I believe in celebrating our nuptials, but-” He furtively looked around, hoping his fertility-loving Druid wasn’t within earshot, but….

His thought couldn’t, wouldn’t finish as he watched her drop like a stone and felt her hair across his thighs and her mouth come down, cocooning him in molten warmth without hesitation. She lightly rained kisses along his length as she took him to her lips, her hand gently pumping, slowly up, slowly down, over and over as he felt her lips work their magic.

“I’ve waited five long years and more for you,” he could hear her muffled voice whisper, as his brain finally comprehended what she was saying beyond the vibration her voice was doing to his nether regions. Gods, it had been too long! “And you were the one that taught me that there was no time better than the present, the past, the future…” Her hot breath moved lower and he groaned in response.

After a few seconds, he felt her move and the blanket he had so thoughtfully salvaged from the ship acted as a makeshift tent that she skillfully shifted into positioned over their bodies. Her tender, fantastic ministrations nearly took his breath away and he finally succumbed to the situation and let a hand go gently to her head, entwining his fingers in her hair as the other gently touched her burgeoning cheek. He whispered her name over and over, a soulful litany he whispered into the still forest air, the only sound in the old growth other than the movement of small creatures amongst the dead leaves and the rising morning mist.

After what seemed like only moments but felt like more, he felt her silken lips leave his tenderized member, only to feel a blast of chilled morning air as she shifted position and lowered herself down on him, the mists swirling like ghosts around her long legs as she moved and settled but she didn’t impale herself. He watched through slitted eyes as she paused, searching his eyes…for what? Permission?

He pulled her down with both hands and as their lips met, she slowly lowered herself down on him and this time he did forget to breathe from the sensation that was his Rose, his golden goddess hovering above him.

She took a moment to accustom herself to his girth and with a swift push, she completely sheathed him in her heat and nearly keened her satisfaction. Slowly, tentatively, they began the age old dance of life, he rising up into her as she rocked down into him, the friction and heat building between their two bodies but there had to be more; Bad Wolf demanded more.

Rose reached forward and leaned down close enough so that they each touched each other’s temple, creating the mental connection of oneness. The deeper they each went into other’s psyche, the more intense their lovemaking became until Bad Wolf shone in Rose’s eyes and the Doctor’s glinted yellow, answering the call of her wolf with his own, grabbing her and holding her tight as he rocketed his hips into her and she met each thrust with savage joy. This was visceral, raw need and want, and once started Wolf would not be denied.

Within moments, just as the first rays of sun starting peaking over the treetops and burning away the mist, Rose and the Doctor reached completion and in the midst of their cries, a ball of gentle yellow light brightened between their bodies and then slowly dimmed as their passions cooled, leaving both drained.

Panting and out of breath, Rose collapsed atop her newly betrothed and tried to catch her breath. The Doctor had the presence of mind to recapture their blanket.

“That was the second one, you know, after I told you in the ship." He actually managed to sound out of breath to Rose’s ears.

"Second what?"

"'I love you, silly'! And, that was the third. Told you at least three a day. The rest are all bonuses." He loved the way the early morning light made her golden hair flame with its own glow. He knew of a planet that could make her hair golden permanently, but that was a surprise for another time.

Rose smirked and closed her eyes, letting a finger stray to play with a chest hair she found at the top of his shirt that peaked just underneath his tie. She played along but the lack of strength almost made her angry. Almost. "Ha. I never heard the first one. Doesn't count." God, she could just fall asleep here; this was heaven.

The Doctor kissed her forehead and held her closer. "I beg to differ and yes it does. First one was for Bad Wolf. She counts, too, and you can't help it if you were flat out unconscious. And, that brings up another issue, my love. Next time you expend so much energy to nearly kill yourself, I think I have a say in the matter. Just because you can, doesn't mean-"

"Shut up."

He looked down his nose at her and she looked up at him and winked. "My first one of the day."

A distant roar of a car engine echoed off the trees. They looked at one another and simultaneously said, “Police!” spurring into action, hurriedly dragging clothes and shoes on as headlights slowly made its way to their copse of trees. The Doctor barely got his tie shoved back into place as it finally stopped 10 feet in front of them. They both were nearly blinded by the brightness until the headlights shut off. Once done, the headlights transformed into the ‘Rose’ van, no less, much to the Doctor’s chagrin. The Doctor gulped and placed a protective arm around Rose and hoped his appearance passed the ‘Donna’ inspection. Rose looked up at him questioningly but once she saw the look on his face, she couldn’t stop grinning. If she was the Wolf, Donna must be a lion, she mused.

First one door opened and then the other, then Donna popped out, slamming her door and Zach followed, his whole body language screeching, ‘Help me, save me!’ Rose could only grin wider.

“Donna! Zach! You found us! Molto Bene! Brilliant! Can we be off and get Rose back to the Tardis for a full physical? She’s been through a lot and I need to check her out before U.N.I.T. or Torchwood shows up, not to mention the local constables.”

Zach kept staring at Rose and it was if he was seeing Jesus in the Flesh. He advanced a step and loosely held out his hand to shake hers, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

“Hello. I’m Zach. The one that helped to get you back. I just didn’t realize the bad guy was you, I mean, her. Kateri. Sorry about that, and all.” Rose took his hand and shook it and noticed it trembled. “It’s alright, Zach. Nice to meet you.”

“Doctor.” Donna folded her arms and took a step back and regarded him with such a discerning stare, he wondered if she were studying the hair follicles in his nostrils. She stepped forward and squinted her eyes as she took in the visage the pair of them presented.

From the disarray of clothing and leaves in hair to Rose’s puffed and reddened lips and that very distinct smell of sex, well…someone was playing with his sonic screwdriver?

Under Donna’s accusing stare, he gathered Rose and propelled her toward the van and she followed, still saying nothing until she took her seat next to Zach and looked back at the both of them.

"I hope you did a really great version of the Green Man, Doctor, because you had a hell of a bloody audience." It was then as Donna sat back that, and they could see through the van’s glass, a line of people in various stages of Celtic dress stepping out from the canopy of the forest.

Rose could only cover her face as it turned scarlet and hid it in the Doctor’s coat, her lips forming the words, 'Oh, shit!.' The Doctors’ only response was, “Well it’s christened, blessed or whatever you want to call it. Let’s go.”

As the Rose van drove off, one man partially dressed in a deer suit with the head held in his hands could only nod at the retreating van. “Collin, with what we witnessed, d’ye think the land’s been blessed proper, now?”

Collin, the original man who’d call the police, stood with the cell phone in his hands and stared at it “Harry, after what we just witnessed, let’s just say ‘So Mote it Be’ and take it back to the Elders. They’ll know what to do.”

Harry shook his head and walked of. “You hope they’ll know what to do. So Mote it Be.”

Chapter 12

Thanks goes to NattieB for being my Edit and Beta-ing Goddess.

It was dark. Too dark.

Rose came to as she felt something...no, someone in her arms. She took in a shuddering breath, feeling weak, so drained from whatever Bad Wolf had done that she could barely move. The hum of the ship was gone and she knew she was laying down due to the gravity pressing down on her chest but could only assumed she was on the floor and hoped to all that was holy that she didn't have Kateri laying across her. The very thought made her fight the panic impulse to up and run.

( rest of the chapter this way )

Chapter 11

Author's notes: Sorry this took more time than usual, but RL has been such a nasty, waskily Wabbit, I keep looking for Elmer Fudd over my shoulder. Many, many thanks goes to NattieB for Beta-ing me and teaching me the finer arts of HTML, or you all would have suffered from a full entry instead of a beautifully short LJ cut.



"What are we going to do? Just drop her off and say 'Have a nice life?' She's evil incarnate!" Rose whispered with conviction, the words just loud enough for the Doctor’s ears. ( rest of the chapter this way )

Chapter 10




Author's Note: Sorry, this took a bit longer than anticipated, but certain bits just demanded to be re-written. Thanks to NattieB once again for the terrific beta-ing and Nattie? The Donna moment is just for you, dearie!


They materialized safely behind the door in the interior of the prison ship and Rose nearly stumbled on the sloping ramp. She was hesitant to step away from the Doctor as, for a second time; he looked as if he were battling nausea. Eyes closed, his grip strong around her shoulders, his lips moved for a few seconds until she finally heard his voice whisper the word, "What?" just a bit too quietly.

She looked around and saw that the room they were in was darkened but she managed to find it had a couple of chairs in the dim lighting the walls gave off and stiffly moved him toward one of them, his steps faulting and shuffling.

"Doctor, I've got you, it's okay. I'm moving you to a chair...come on, here it's...right behind you, there! Okay?"

She maneuvered him and pressed down his shoulders; eventually his legs bent at the knee and he sat but he wouldn't let her go, his arms circling her tightly around the waist, his head laying gently on her chest. She tried peering into the darkness toward the back of the ship, but what was the back of the ship seemed to go on forever. Yeah, this was definitely a type of Time Lord Technology, if ever there was one, still alive.

“You know….this is one of the first places they’ll look….Don’t want them finding us and ruining a perfect escape, huh?"

His silence unnerved her a bit. She had seen him like this before, all quiet and brooding, usually after she’d done, as the Doctor would say, something monumentally stupid. She knew exactly how the conversation was going to go. After he’d calmed down enough, he'd yell at her for allowing Bad Wolf to doing too much, the risks she'd taken, how it could have brought the world to and end. Then he’d rush her off to whatever this ship had that functioned as an infirmary to check what damage had been done, After, he’d sulk for hours and brush off any attempts she’d made to talk to him. Yes, she knew exactly how this was going to play out.

Deciding to get it over with, she prompted him again. “Doctor?”

“Not yet. I'm listening." And he pulled her closer, his head pressing tightly against her chest.

The moments ticked by and still he said nothing. She felt him take a deep breath, his body slowly relaxing and she wondered when he was going to lay it into her. A few more moments went by before she belatedly realized he wasn’t listening to her but, for her hearts.

"My girl. My Rose." His voice sounded so choked, so full of emotion that she hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut, kissing the top of his head, smiling gently. She ran a hand through his thick hair and laid her cheek against the top of his head, smelling it. It smelled faintly of the Tardis’s grease and his musk. There was no mistaking his scent; one of the things she missed most from all of the hugs they shared, for all the days her arms were empty of him.

She finally found her voice and whispered, "Always, Doctor. I can't be anyone else's but yours, even if I wasn’t wired that way." She closed her eyes and tried hard to control her emotions, wanting so desperately to give in, desperately to allow her soul the respite of finally joining with the one Bad Wolf had made her for, but still...wrong place, wrong time. The Doctor couldn’t see her smile at such an ironic thought. It faltered when she heard a sound beyond her sight as she focused her attention toward the darkened parts of the ship. Unable to identify it, she returned her attention to the Doctor. She was tempted to could look around but she felt his breath hitch in his body and something hot and wet seep through the sweatshirt she wore and realized what he was doing and her own eyes misted, the sound forgotten.

"Quite right, too." His muffled voice reduced barely made it to her ears as he said those familiar words from so long ago and she could tell he meant it. He lifted his head and stood and she let him, his hand automatically lifting to run it through her hair and kissing her lips as if he'd been doing all his life. He kissed her as passionately as he could for the few seconds they had remaining before they both knew they were in danger of being discovered. When he finally broke away to allow her breath, she saw he was affected as well, his breath heavy. So much for his famous respiratory bypass.

"Ready?" He looked into her eyes and suddenly smiled his manic smile before looking toward the door.

"Yeah. Shiver and Shake, love."

She answered his smile with one of her own and let go of him to shrug off the backpack. He stepped over to the door and palmed it closed and it did, snicking into place. He then pulled out the stone and placed it into a barely perceived nitch embedded next to the door's frame and it connected without a sound, the stone molding itself to the wall. He pressed first one symbol, then two and the lights came up and the ventilation whispered through hidden vents in the sudden quiet. He turned to see Rose sitting in the very chair that witnessed Kateri's torture just days before and it gave him a mental shudder. She was staring at a spot just above his left shoulder and he furrowed his brow in worry. She raised a hand to him.

"Ro-" He stopped as he watched her eyes suddenly golden and glowing and the sight wasn't lost on him. It was more intense than what he'd seen before. It reminded him the way she'd looked the last time, the day the Daleks were reduced to piles of dust by her hand, so long ago.

"It's okay, Doctor, just making sure the coast is clear...it's strange but I don't feel anyone coming toward the ship, you'd think this would be the first place they'd look." She stopped and the glowing ceased and she squinted her eyes from the brightness of the overhead lighting. "I guess it's a good thing we chose the ship first? We've definitely gotten a head start on them, but....why is it I still have a bad feeling about this?" She shook her head and looked around.
Seeing nothing, she bent her head towards the floor thinking, her hair falling forwards, partially hiding her face.

He stepped up to her and bent down, his one hand slowly drifting down her back as the other lifted her chin and she looked up into his eyes and it hit her gut how much she saw the raw, darkened and desperate want he had in his eyes for her. All for her. In this quiet ship one could hear a pin drop, but she'd never hear it from the thumping of her heart and from his stare, he must be thinking and feeling the same. She was so tempted to peek into his gorgeous brain and see what he was thinking like she used to do to Mickey using Bad Wolf, but she didn't want to upset him any more than she'd already had, judging his reaction from when she'd checked to make sure the coast was clear.

Her fingers ghosted across the back of his hand, and she swallowed, trying control the incredible impulse to drag him down and have her way with him right there on the brown void ship carpet, damn them all outside the door. "Doctor..."

"Rose...are you sure....seriously sure, you want to go home with me? You have to tell me now, because there's no going back once I start the engines. You're leaving your Mum, your whole family behind..."

She dropped her hand to her lap and sat back, regarding him with a look of icy resolve. How can he be asking this now? She got up fast, forcing him to take a step back and got within two inches of his face. Her voice was low with anger and determination as she answered him, pointing a finger into his chest as she emphasized her words.

"Stop it. Stop it right there. Your question's a bit late, isn't it? I'm not nineteen and haven't been for a while. I make my own decisions and I've been in command long enough to weigh my options from every point instead of just the personal, and right now? My decision stands. There are only three priorities that concern me, Doctor.” She stopped pointing her finger into his chest and started counting off with the other.

"1) I'm leaving with you as soon as you get this ship started, 2) shagging you while there's still a breath in my body and, 3) spending my natural-born life with you. You just have to make the decision to pick which one comes first." She folded her arms across her chest, took a step back to give him space and waited.

He blinked at her as if seeing her for the first time and suddenly the intensity of his stare dissolved into one of surprise as he considered the implications. Renewed respect and the air of unmistakable gob-smack rolled off of him in waves. Rose was tempted to laugh, but professional decorum won out as she kept her expression intact while she waited for an answer.

He shoved a hand in a pocket and scrubbed the other through his hair. "I...uh, I bet-better get the engines started...Allons-y and all..."

Rose nodded her head in agreement, still holding her ground. "Yeah, do that. Good idea. That takes care of number one."

He smiled and backpedaled under her scrutiny and pointed at the computer monitor and controls on the wall, taking a step, then two in its direction. "Aye-aye, Cap'n Tyler, on our way..." he turned and before he could move another step, hand on his arm stopped him.”Wha-"

"Not before a kiss for luck." Rose grabbed and yanked him tight against her, her other hand sliding up into his scalp as her lips caught his in a passionate and breath-taking kiss that made her own toes curl. Just as she let him go he grabbed her and determined not to be outdone, gave her as good as he got, pressing her bum tight against him and shoved a leg in between hers, bending her over his arm.
Somehow they had worked themselves over to the larger chair and they both slowly sunk into it, starting the ship forgotten.

"For the Goddess's sake, get a room! I think I'm about to regurgitate!"

The Gorgon's voice froze the Doctor's next move and Rose, recognizing her voice from her dreams, instinctively panicked. She could feel his body tense with the alien's words and he slowly let Rose up to a standing position.

"Lights-full!" She barked and in response, as they came up to full brightness, they revealed the Gorgon in all of her fluttering ill-glory.

Rose made herself calm down, breathing through her nose in and out slowly, and for the first time was able to see the Gorgon in the flesh. It instantly repulsed her. To think Bad Wolf let this...this thing...control her consciousness through the ship. It made her want to strangle Bad Wolf if the Wolf had a neck, but lacking one, she only balled her fists at her side and stole a sidelong glance at the Doctor. As suspected, his mood was not good. Oh, no, not good at all.

"Ah, look who it is....no rest for the Void-jumping wicked, eh, Kateri? Coming along for the ride or just long enough for another world to conquer?"

The Gorgon cackled and cocked her head to the side. "That all depends on your behavior, Doctor."

She smiled at Rose but all Rose could see was glittering eyes and sharp teeth. "Nice to meet you in the flesh, Rose Tyler. Welcome to the living."

"No pleasure, really. You’re an ugly Bitch. You actually got people to worship you with that face? They must have been desperate.” Rose couldn't help it. She'd met her share of beings but this one burned the cherry right off the pie.

Kateri only smiled wider, her words short and tight. "Start the engines, Doctor. Let's not delay."

The Doctor let a small smile show as he watched Rose’s words have an affect Kateri. “”What’s to make me do it, Kateri? You can’t torture me using Rose, nor can you use the ship. You don’t even have a weapon in your hands…”
Kateri lowered herself to the ground and walked towards them but stopped, keeping herself a healthy distance between her and them.

“No, I don’t have a weapon but we have a mutual need. We want the same. The universe we came from has such a more beguiling appeal than this drab universe, Doctor. Shall we make the trip and explore some more?” Her sing-song tone spoke volumes on what she really wanted to do and it wasn’t lost on him…or on Rose.

Before the Doctor could lob a retort, Rose had stepped to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Doctor, go ahead. Please start the engines before my lovely and determined former teammates find us? And…we have someone waiting for us on the other side, right? Best to hurry!”

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at Rose and saw something…was it Bad Wolf? lurking behind her eyes, swirling lazily just at her corneas. He took a deep breath and let it out quickly. He pointed at the control panel and looked between the Gorgon and Rose. “Aaalriiight, Cap’n Rose, two votes against one. Do you mind?”

He nodded his head at Kateri then pointed his finger at the console, then at himself. At Kateri’s nod, he stepped away from both of them, slowly and cautiously, hoping Rose decision wasn’t going to be one they’d both regret. He read the Gallifreyan controls, flipped a couple of switches and the monitor came to life, automatically giving him atmosphere, spatial and temporal readings. He noticed a space next to the keyboard and new it was the genetic key for starting the engines. Deftly hitting the keys with his left, he placed his right hand into the space and laid his fingers into its mold and felt it hum, the vibration going deep under his skin. Within seconds, they all felt the engines switch on and burr to life under their feet. The Doctor hit another switch and got a split screen picture of where he was going and what he was leaving behind. Men were starting to rush into the hangar, guns blazing at the ship but their efforts were useless as the bullets bounced off the ship’s shield, it's sound zipping to life and, as it became stronger, it grew louder with a gentle whine that quickly went higher and beyond human hearing.

“Allons-Y everyone!”

Rose found the chair behind her and sat down and Kateri decided to flutter. Within seconds, the Doctor had them airborne and flying out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Glancing back at Kateri, he stood at the console and swiftly dug into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver.

“Rassilon,” he whispered, “don’t fail us now.”

Rose’s voice sounded loud and clear into his right ear, even though she was behind him and five feet back, still sitting in the chair. 'He won’t.'

He shot a glance back at her and she smiled sweetly back and him, leaned back and crossed her legs.

“Anything in this ship fit for human consumption? I’m famished!” She turned her sweet smiled at Kateri and bent her head, smiling wider. Her actual meaning was lost on Kateri but on the Doctor as well, who only smiled back at her. "Let's see if we can find the galley, shall we?"

With a beep, the computer took over directional control, indicating next stop, The Void.




On the other side, Donna, ever faithful, nodded off one more time, falling into an almost fitful doze, dreaming of purple mushrooms growing all over the Tardis’s floors when a whisper woke her, making her sit up straight in the lounger she’d been relaxing in.

“Oi! What’s that? Zach, you said something?”

As she blinked and rubbed her eyes hard from the sleep that had settled there, silence broken only by a gentle snore answered her. She looked across the room and saw that Zach had nodded off as well, a string of drool slowly falling from his lip to his shirt as he sat in front of the computer monitor in their vigil that was now slowly going into Day 3.

‘Donna, prepare…we’re coming back and we’re bringing an uninvited guest..prepare……’

She instantly recognized the Doctor’s voice and perked up. That, she thought, was not a figment of my imagination! She squinted at the computer monitor across the room and it still showed Tardises floating lazily across Zach’s screen. She scrambled out of the chair, throwing the blanket she had covering her to the floor. Within seconds, she was at Zach’s side and smacked Zach’s arm, waking him so quickly he nearly fell out of his chair.

“Wha’…Whatcha do that for?” He blearily looked around the room as he straightened himself.

“The Doctor’s coming. Start looking sharp, geek-boy, he might be bringing trouble.”

Zach looked around and scrubbed his eyes and wiped away the drool as best he could, wiping his hand on his jeans. He hit a few keys on his keyboard and the computer to life, the screen flickering from one application to another.

“I get nothin’, Ms. Donna..Nothin’s amiss. No anomalies, energy spikes, uncharted movement in the skies…no rift activity…”

“Just keep watching, Zach. I got warned and he said to prepare…so prepare. Do whatever you do when you’re expecting something to come through and I’ll go make us some more coffee…” She gave him a quick smile and patted his shoulder very business like before disappeared down the hall and toward the kitchen.

Zach combined a groan with a shudder as he hung his head, only to look up a second later, checking the time on his computer screen. 3:38 AM. Oh, God. Now he was in for it.

He placed his folded arms on the edge of the desk and laid his weary head down. The last time he drank her coffee, he had to run for the bathroom as if the bulls from Spain nipped at his heels. If she was supposed to be the best temp in Chiswick, why did she make coffee that gave him symptoms of an instant gastric bypass?

“Two sugars and a little bit of milk, right?” She called from the kitchen.

Zach shot up and looked back from where her voice came and shook his head spastically, knowing she couldn’t see him. He nearly twitched as he responded, “Two sugars and lots and lots of milk, please? Lots and lots of milk…..Oh, God….”

Chapter 9


"It's the silly frock convention, is it?" Mickey smiled up at Rose as she went to shove at him, but the look the Doctor gave her made her stop and instead rest her hand on Mickey's shoulder. He was beyond shocked as he stared at her. She was making him feel more than he should dressed in that barely-there sheet. Rose-not-completely-naked would undo him anytime, but the sheer fact she was practically glowing with renewed vigor and smelling of Vortex energy made his hearts nearly stop.

"What?" Rose observed at the Doctor's gob-smacked expression and smiled as she reached for his bottle of beer to take a sip.

The Doctor swallowed and nervously smiled and took a quick breath through his nose, trying to make the weakened, invalid mental image of Rose from an hour ago disappear from his mind as he took in the visage standing before him. He so wanted her, here and now and a wanton image of them on top of said dining room table came jarringly into mind and he shut it down with the biggest worry manifesting in his Time Lord brain...what was the energy doing to her? "Nothing, nothing at all. How…how do you feel? Beyond that, somebody mentioned dismantling?"

"Yeah, she read my mind." Mickey explained, then sheepishly grinning with his I-got-you blink. "Thanks, but no thanks Rose. I was gonna tell him."

"When? When they bring the 'Six Million Dollar Man' back on telly?" Rose held up a finger as Mickey was about to answer and turned her attention back to the Doctor.

Half-smiling, she took another sip and handed him back the bottle and ruffled his hair with one hand. This surprised him a bit; Rose had never done anything like that before. But considering what they’d done on her couch and what he’d planned to do to her later, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

"How am I supposed to feel?” She said, finally answering his earlier question. “Wolfie took care of me and now I'm ready for business, yay me. Make room!" She stepped in front of him, forcing him to shove the chair backward and she promptly sat in his lap as best she could with the sheet wrapped around her and reached for a plate, much to the Doctor's chagrin. Mickey gave them sidelong glances as he started doling out the salad and a bun and shoved the butter at her as he decided to go ahead and give them the news now that they were all together.

"Well, they voted to dismantle the ship within the next 12 hours, knowing damned good a well the Doctor needs it to go home.” He grabbed his bottle, but instead of taking a drink, he was pointing it at them as he spoke, emphasizing his words. “They're desperate to understand the tech behind it. I know they won't understand it for a good 200 hundred-"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not even then, Mickey. It's way above the human race by a good twenty-five hundred years, at least in our universe. And it's not the kind of technology they need to know right now, since the ship is designed to keep a being inside the ship, instead of traveling and letting them out." The Doctor voice was tight with emotion. He knew he had to stop them, he'd practically opened the door for them but, more importantly, Rose was squirming in his lap ever so slightly as she reached for the butter for her bread and it was a bit unnerving. He wasn't about to ask her to get up, though. It felt too good to interrupt her motions just so that he could actually see Mickey for this conversation, since the sheet she wore partially obstructed his view. Did she know what she was doing to him?

"True, Doc, but that ain't stopping them; they're determined. Now, I know you have to go and you're taking Rose with you, but they don't need to know that and my main concern is to get you both inside the ship undetected. If anyone would know how to fly the ship and get you both out, it would be you."

"I smell a plan. A very lovely plan…" Rose turned slightly to give the Doctor a look as she smiled and took a bite of her bread, her posterior nudging that certain spot again and he was momentarily distracted until he caught her wink. The minx! Two could play that game....He reached underneath the table and ran a finger inside her left leg. She involuntarily jumped and shot him a look, all the while trying to keep her attention on Mickey. The Doctor smiled up at her as his curiosity got the better of him. He asked, "So, what's the plan, Mickey? Are you going to whisk us away into the ship inside a deli cart as they're trying to-"

"Whoa, not that easy, Doc." Mickey turned his attention to Rose, his look suddenly serious. "They know, sweetheart. Everything."

Rose stopped in mid-chew as his statement sunk in. No. Oh, no. This wasn't good. Not good at all. She slowly swallowed as she could imagine the Doctor's eyes on her, questioning and, just as she expected, she heard him ask, "What?"

She couldn't look at him, not yet, her mind was a flurry of activity as she weighed her options. They knew. The only people on the whole planet she didn't want to know her secret now knew and she was afraid of the implications. They must have found out from hospital records, tests or whatever they'd put her through while she'd been comatose. She'd been desperate for them not to know, so much so, that she knew Bad Wolf had allowed her to stay unconscious and set the plans in motion so that the ship and Kateri could do what they'd planned for the Doctor to get to her inside, but at what cost? Bad Wolf was supposed to have masked her additional extras, but what happened? She closed her eyes and swallowed. This could mean entrapment, life long imprisonment, a life of testing and tests, pain and misery for their want of how she ticked and now, with the Doctor here, their situation was even more grave. She half-expected her door knocked down at any moment to get at both of them.

"Rose!" The Doctor, concerned, whispered her name with urgency and it wasn't lost on her.

"Doctor, get dressed. I have to get dressed, we have to-"

Knock. Knock. KNOCK.

'No!' She thought to herself, 'not yet! I hate it when I'm right!' Mickey saved her from saying her next words as she hopped off of the Doctor's lap and shot for the bedroom, precariously holding the sheet in place.

"They're here. Doctor, follow Rose, now. No questions." Mickey started to motion for the Doctor to get up but caught his eye and thought better of it. The Doctor quickly got out his chair and followed Rose, his expression grim. Mickey watched the flat's front door as he moving silently backward, gun raised and staying quiet until he was behind the bedroom door.

Once closed, he turned and found Rose had already partially dressed in sports bra and jeans. The Doctor's shadow could be seen quickly moving behind the bathroom's partially closed door. She shoved trainers on her uncovered feet and ducked into a gray sweatshirt. She popped out her head and in one smooth motion tightened her hair up in its pony tail.

Boom – Boom - BOOM!

To Rose's ears it sounded like they were already trying to break down the door. 'Good thing Mickey refurbished it with Titanium alloy,' she thought with grim determination, looking back at the bathroom door. "Mickey, we have to use the Tunnels, it's the only way."

"It's not the only way, Rose, and you know it. You and the Doc have got to get out of here the fastest way you can. The ship's in Hangar 3, near Pyrotechnics. Aim for that and you'll be fine." He winked at her and the look she gave him spoke volumes. "Rose, you'll be fine. You didn't kill me and that's a plus. Do it, for you and the Doctor."

Rose nodded once and looked down, drawing a breath. Making her decision, she then went over to the closet he'd come out of earlier, digging into the farthest section of it and dug out a backpack that appeared stuffed but she handled it as if it were as light as a feather. "What about you? I can't leave you-"

"I can take care of myself, Rose. Remember, Protocol Three." He peered passed her head and she turned to find the Doctor stuffing his dress shirt into his trousers, his jacket thrown over a shoulder.

"What's the plan? What's Protocol Three?" The Doctor shrugged into his jacket and patiently waited for an answer from one of them.

Rose quickly put the backpack on and buckled it into place. She then grabbed the Doctor's hand and squeezed it as she smiled at him, wishing she could say everything at once but knew she couldn't. She turned to Mickey, still holding the Doctor's hand. "Mickey, you'll tell my family, yeah? I've prepared them for this moment, but I need to know you'll tell them."

BOOM! Voices muffled and angry, could be heard from the farthest end of the flat.

Mickey gave her a hug and shook hands with the Doctor. "I'll tell them Rose, now go!"

She turned into the Doctor's hold on her hand and changed it into an embrace in one smooth motion, her chest against the Doctor's chest. "Doctor take a deep breath? Yeah?"

She felt him hesitate. "Will I get an answer?"

She laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes and knew what he meant. "Yes. Completely." She could feel him then, his chest moving against her cheek as he drew a breath, his hearts began thumping a quickened tattoo and before Mickey could turn into the tunnel, she called upon Bad Wolf and blinked out of existence, taking the Doctor with her.

Mickey dove into the closet, shutting the door behind him and locked it into place, just as the men who'd pledged allegiance to the Illustrious Admin of Torchwood broke down the bedroom door. They couldn't hear Mickey's laughter slowly echoing away as he weaved his way from them and his life with Torchwood. Moving deeper into the tunnels toward his new life involving cornfields, manure, and the installation of nuclear-powered shielding for said manure, he sent a prayer to any God that was listening for Rose’s and the Doctor’s safety. Before he hit the last tunnel, he nudged a switch on his wrist and spoke, "The eagle has landed and the chicks are away. Use the broom and clean up the mess. I'm heading for turning shit into gold."

A voice, very male and quiet, sounding very much like Jake whispered back, "Copy that, Tin Dog. May the Force be with you."





Rose materialized inside a storage closet close to the ship and let her breath out slowly, letting Bad Wolf fade from her consciousness. She felt the Doctor fall away from her and she pivoted on one foot to grab him from falling, catching him around his chest and hugging him to her.

"Gotcha! Not letting go..Okay?" She saw the Doctor's eyes flutter and then snap open. She could tell he was a bit disoriented and she took it in stride. At least he wasn't puking like Mickey did on his first time.....although, the color of his cheeks did look a bit peaked. She decided to ask again.

"Doctor?"

""Fine!" He whispered, his voice nearly squeaking his response. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could before he answered. "I'm fine. Helluva ride, Rose." His arms came up and held her close as he surveyed his surroundings.

Definitely storage closet, dark, enclosed space. No sounds outside the door as of yet and that was a good thing, a very good thing. Now, dealing with the shock of matter transference via Bad Wolf. He took a deep breath as he realized the tingles that had played over his skin hadn't quite dissipated and he closed his eyes again as a small wave of nausea made his stomach roll a bit.

"Rose, " He whispered, "I'm concerned."

"Yeah?" she whispered back, wondering of he was preparing for the probability of hurling stomach contents.

"Bad Wolf." He looked down at her and shoved a bit of blonde hair away from an eyelash. "I did my best to take it out of you. I was afraid you'd burn. I'm concerned you're still gonna burn."

When she realized what he was implying, she smiled, laying her head against his hearts. "Helluva time to be concerned now, Doctor. I've used it too much to be bothered with it the whys and where for’s. Now we need an old-fashioned diversion to get into the ship. Like the old days." She looked up into his concerned brown eyes and watched them change into...what? "Are you with me?"

The Doctor looked down into her questioning matching brown eyes and saw a future more concrete and real than he dared to dream since he'd let her go. If he'd known she'd changed like this, he'd never let her go, hell bent to keep her at his side but, he'd thought he'd done right, keeping her with family. She'd been too young to leave her family, too young to be with him, despite how madly he loved her. Now......Now.....God’s by Rassilon, now.....

"I'm with you, Rose. Always. Forever. Ready when you are."

Whoop-Whoop! Whoop-whoop! Whoop-Whoop! Rose recognized it as the ‘Intruder alert’ klaxon and knew they’d been found out. Rose smiled and hugged him close. "That's our cue!"

She went to close her eyes and she felt the Doctor's body stiffen. She opened them and looked back up at him. "What?"

He smiled a manic smile at her. "Anything else you want to tell me before we're off?"
She countered with, "Have you got the stone?"

"Yes, of course, safely in a Time Lord pocket."

"Then there’s nothing else to say, other than the fact I've got two hearts now. Time to go…Breathe!"

Before he could utter a shocked "WHAT!" she transported them into just inside the Void ship, safely behind the door and prying eyes.

Chapter 8



By the time the Doctor emerged from Rose’s bedroom, dressed in her dressing gown, Mickey had the food hot and prepped and laid out on the white cotton-table clothed dining room table. He couldn’t help himself laughing at a white-cottoned, rose-patterned frilly-frocked Time Lord bare-footing it to the table.

Seeing his reaction, the Doctor squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, his dignity intact. “Laugh it up, G. I. Joe, let’s see you pull this off!"

"I think it suits you!" With a barely contained giggle, Mickey waved his arm at the Doctor to sit. The Doctor grabbed a chair and sat down; doing his best managing an air of mildly bruised male pride.

"I've worn worse through the years...although at the moment I’m finding it hard to think of something….Ah!” A look of triumph lit his face. “Yes, the celery...and the question marks." He shuddered as he closed his eyes and pinched his nose with one hand at the memories; his movements inadvertantly making the frills at the neck and wrists of the gown shake.

Mickey looking beyond the picture the Doctor made; he tried to not do a double-take at his comment. "What?"

Mickey couldn't hide the confusion in his voice. Celery? Question marks? This was the Doctor. Anything was possible. Did he mean wearing them or eating them? How would you eat a question mark anyway? Turning it to Jell-O and slurp?

The Doctor attempted to answer but decided not. The explanations would take too long and dredge up too many memories. Shaking his head, he smiled and said, "No, never mind, you don't want to know. Let's just say celery will never make a fashion statement..." He settled himself without another word, very interested in the food Mickey had sat on the table.

Mickey cocked an eye at him and decided to give up; no answer was going to be given and he decided he really didn't want to know; there were some things better off not knowing. He picked up a styrofoam plate, cracked open the containers and place some baked chicken, potato salad and a buttered roll on it and shoved the plate toward the Doctor. "Eat. I need you to have a full stomach because, when I'm done telling you what I need to tell you, you're going to wish you had."

The Doctor grabbed a plastic fork lying on the table and brought the food closer, all the while wondering what Mickey was up to.

“How much time have we got?” He took a bite of the salad and was surprised to find that he liked it and took another bite while waiting for Mickey to answer, but Mickey acted as if he never heard the question. Instead, he dug into his own meal. Trying to ignore the tempting salad, the Doctor tried again, waving his fork in the air for emphasis.

"Why not-"

"No." This time, Mickey answered with more force than he’d intended and looked toward Rose's bedroom door and glanced at his watch. The Doctor watched him, his food now forgotten and his gaze intense. Mickey noticed the look and shook his head; he wouldn't let it faze him. "No, mate. I ain't tattling until you're full. Eat up."

The Doctor let a moment pass, then nodded his head once, shoving the fork into the salad again, his lips in a moue of discontent. He moved the food around a bit on his plate, thinking hard as he took another bite. He swallowed and sat back a bit, trying a different tack. "Interesting choice of words, Mick-Mick Mickey. You're definitely not the idiot anymore and I like this new you. Although, looks like cryptic on New Mickey has reached a new art form."

Mickey spoke through the mouthful of salad he managed to eat. "That's what Torchwood will do to ya." He swallowed and grabbed for his bottle of Black and Tan and took a healthy gulp. The Doctor looked on as he took another bite. The flavor of the potato salad hit his tongue and the Doctor decided he might have a new favorite food, next to his beloved bananas. Not bad, not bad at all. He eyed the chicken leg on his plate. Soon, it would be chicken feasting.

Mickey was the first to speak as he put his bottle down and played with the lip of it. He refused to look at the Doctor when he finally spoke. He took a deep breath and blew it out slow.

"I told you she was Bad Wolf, yeah? From the way you reacted when I told you, I had a feeling you already knew, but you just didn’t say how much." He glanced again at Rose’s bedroom door and finally looked at the Doctor, waiting.

"Well, yeah....I didn't think-"

"Neither did she." He took another swig of his bottle and set it down with a bang, shoving it aside. The Doctor watched him with interest, wondering if he was going to continue. He wasn't disappointed as he watched Mickey lean back in his chair and folded his leg at the knee, appearing completely relaxed, but his eyes told a different story. The Doctor finally made it to the chicken and took a bite.

"One day, we were on reconnaissance. Some alien junk fell from the sky and it was the usual, same old same old unidentifiable. Only she'd gotten to it first, always determined like hell to find out more, do more, anything she could glean to try and get back to you.” He picked up the bottle of beer and took another swig.

"She'd gotten to it first and the radiation killed her." The Doctor nearly sputtered on his bite of chicken and Mickey offered his bottle but the Doctor just shook his head, clearing his throat in an attempt to recover.

Mickey had a small smile play his features but the sadness in his eyes didn't dim from the memories. He continued, "Or, should I say it a little more plain, she was a gnat's wing away from death, but Bad Wolf reared her beautiful head and wouldn't let her die. I spent a good three full days at her side while she healed and when she could talk, she finally clued me into a few details like...well, she'd always known you hadn't taken the Vortex completely out of her.”

At the Doctor’s shocked expression, Mickey added, “Yeah, I know about that, too. She never completely forgot the details at Satellite 5; she just wouldn't talk about it because you wouldn't talk about it. I tried telling her to give it up, but she knew you'd be back, never knew when. She’d just get this far off look in her eye and say, 'One day. You wait, Mickey, one day….’”

He took another swig and held the bottle close to his chest, looking down into its contents that swirled, feeling both amazed and humbled at Rose’s faith in him. "She started showing a little more Bad Wolf as the months went by…flashes of gold in her eyes would aappear before stepping out of harm’s way or objects moving at the last second, but always random. Never with any consistency. She didn't have control then. Another time...oh, I guess about a year later, she's taken a bullet in a lung, healed up fine except for some residual issues, had some trouble breathing. The docs said something about apnea or something like that, so for the first week out of hospital I'd sit with her or camp out on the couch with the baby monitor on her and one night, sure enough, she stopped breathing. Ran in there like there were Daleks chasing me but as soon as I opened the door and took two steps in, she took a breath and started to glow gold." At the Doctor's raised eyebrows, he smirked.

"Yeah, I didn't stutter. She turned completely gold and started talking in her sleep, mentioning you and starting to make all kinds of...talk. Next thing I know, she's having her own 'wet' dream and she wakes up to me standing there, all bug eyed, among other things, wondering what she's going to do next. She ended up completely healed. Rose took it all in stride, though, God bless her, once she got over her initial embarrassment of it all."

The Doctor put down his plate and grabbed his own bottle, washing the chicken down his throat. He held it in his hand and barely felt the chill from the liquid inside as he remembered the night in the alien dungeon. Mickey’s mood affected him, more than he’d let him know. He had his own story to tell.

“She came to me, Mickey.”

A tinge of awe making his voice go quiet with the telling. “I was in a bad way...a really bad way and somehow she came to me, like a mythical Guardian Angel. I never believed in things, as such....but I always believed...no, I still believe in her.”

Mickey shook his head and smiled. “Bad Wolf, man. She does that. Just, sometimes she not aware of what she’s doing. It’s all good, though. Wolf’s never done me wrong yet and now that you’re here…Wolf’s going to be fierce to protect. Be prepared, man. Wolf’s almost as powerful as Rose’s love for you. Think you can handle it?”

The Doctor looked at him and could almost feel the words Mickey couldn’t or wouldn’t say and what that implied. There was more he wasn’t telling, he was sure of it, but he knew he wouldn’t get much more out of him tonight. Mickey looked as tense as barbed wire, despite his eased body language. He was a soldier now, direct and to the point.
The Doctor looked him in the eye and made his voice deep and as serious as a heartsattack. “Yeah, Mickey. I can handle it.”

Mickey’s serious expression broke with a sudden laugh. “Good mate, ‘cause she’s all yours.” He checked his watch again and smiled. “It’s about time.”

The Doctor finished taking another swig of his bottle and put it back on the table. “For what?”

Mickey looked up and continued smiling. “You both played with Bad Wolf, Doc. It has some…residual effects…”

At that, a click could be heard from Rose’s bedroom door out came Rose, freshly washed, scented and her hair wrapped in a loose bun, the tendrils softly framing her face. She was wrapped in a bed sheet haphazardly tucked in at the chest with a bright smile that stretched from ear to ear, walking with a spring in her step.

“Hello, boys. Did you miss me? I'm famished!" She grabbed for a chicken leg and tore into it with gusto. Mickey smiled, but the Doctor could only stare. Rose gave him a peck on the cheek and turned her attention to Mickey as she rested a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, talking in between bites, her tone light.

"What's the timetable for the dismantling of the Void ship, Mickey? And, when can I obliterate our illustrious Admin for making such a stupid decision?”

Chapter 7


"Here we are....Home! You're home, home, home!"

With a flourish, he swung the door wide after taking out the key and got a quick glimpse of a modestly furnished flat. The living room was done up in light and dark tans, blacks and browns with splashes of greens and reds. For a flat provided by Torchwood, it was well above average as the Doctor spied in his sweeping glance advanced heating and cooling controls on one wall and a 22nd century-equipped kitchen past the dining room. This was not the flat of a young Rose Tyler, and he was not going to tempt Tyler ire by saying so, so soon coming back to her side. He was tempted to whistle but decided not as he caught the expression on Rose’s face. Not good, nope, not good at all.

"Hopefully not for long, Doctor." Her voice sounded light and teasing, but he knew, as he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed her in, she meant every word. The implications were not lost on him and for a brief moment, he allowed a bit of fantasy and imagined her reaction to coming home to the Tardis. His slight smile from the result of his fantasy was lost on Rose, who sat with head in hand, frustration writ across her features as if she'd just caught a whiff of something disagreeable. After the day they'd had, he marveled at the fact she was still awake.

Rose propped her head in one hand and leaned onto the arm of the wheelchair. God, she hated this chair! After a long day of dealing with hospital release, bureaucratic red tape concerning the Void ship combined with being debriefed on what had happened over the last two months from her senior staff, Rose was ready to kiss the carpet of her flat and bury her head into the pillows of her queen-size bed in the bedroom beyond, hopefully snuggled next to the Doctor.

'Hopefully not to sleep,' she wistfully thought to herself as she looked back and gave the Doctor a sidelong glance. If he'd caught it, it would’ve made him blush to his toes. Yet, as tired as she was, she was glad he hadn't noticed. ‘Well, maybe in the morning?’ She wantonly thought, crooking an eyebrow, as he finished wheeling her into her living room and making a flourish to close the door.

Rose, surveyed the place and noticed the cleaning staff had kept everything in tip-top shape. Not a magazine or mislaid shirt out of place, she noticed that not a speck of dust lay on anything. Not on the coffee table, atop the telly; even the remote to it was clean. Wanting to get up and sit in her own couch to make the place her own again, she started to lift up and out of the chair to move about. The motion didn't go unnoticed as the Doctor caught movement in his peripheral vision and flew to her side.

"Ah-Hah! None of that, now! Haven't you've had a long enough day, Rose Tyler? What if you slip and fall, we'd have to go back to hospital all over again and...how much do we hate hospital, especially one that has no shops?" He grabbed her under her arms and held her close, allowing her to stand as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He lowered his head and ran his cheek against her hair, her shampoo of lavender and roses overtaking his senses as he held her, ready for her weight if she began to wobbly. Rose instinctively leaned further into him and let her head fall back against his shoulder and scrunched her eyes as the memories of the day brought instant irritation.

"Grrrrr! Too much! Just get me to the couch and let me flop! The couch is missing the imprint of my butt cheeks. Now I know the cleaning staff takes cleaning way to seriously!"

The Doctor smiled as his grip tightened around her waist. Loathe to let her go, he finally allowed himself to guide her faulting steps the few feet to the tan overstuffed couch and eased her down, but Rose leaned forward and held on to him and they both fell into it, her giggling in his ear all the way down.

Arms and legs akimbo, her laughter was infectious as she continued to giggle and the Doctor joined in. He got himself untangled enough to settle himself next to her on the wide couch, their bodies lying side by side. Slowly, their giggling subsided and their eyes locked. Rose felt his hand come through her hair and realized she could barely breathe as she saw....What was that, desire?…darken his chocolate brown eyes. The last time she saw an intense look like that, she’d been promised he’d never leave her.

"Rose Tyler, I missed you. Bad."

Rose stopped breathing. Rose wasn't shocked at his statement but was surprised that he actually verbalized it. She finally remembered to breathe as the shock wore off and she lifted a finger to trace his lower lip, hoping like hell he’d lower that gorgeous mouth just a couple of inches closer so that she could taste him one more time.

"Better. I just don't say 'I love you' to anyone.”

Feeling more brazen by the second, she leaned forward. “Kiss me, Time Lord. Show me just how much you missed me." Her voice lowered to a whisper and it made him shudder. Gods, how did she do that?

He initiated the kiss, taking her head in his hand and lifting her enough that their lips met and he showed her how much he missed her. He started with her lips then slowly made her open so that his tongue did exactly what she’d done to him mere hours before. She reached up and ran her hand through his hair as he drew her closer to him, alternately drawing his tongue deeper into her mouth to meet hers as she ran her nails through his scalp. The resulting purr she felt radiate through her chest made her feel as if she were satiating a wolf cub. This was more than she had hoped for, more than she’d allowed herself to dream in all the years they’d been apart.

She’d loved him more and more deeply as the months and years she traveled with him went by, never telling him, never allowing him to see the full extent of her heart, always afraid the domesticity of love would drive him off and away and leave her stranded on her mother’s doorstep. Being sealed away from him on this world, then seeing him standing at Bad Wolf Bay, seeing the love in his eyes and the intense pain, then at the last moment, not hearing him profess it…it broke her and made her. She swore never to be that close to anyone again unless it was him, and she made herself strong enough to take on whatever Torchwood and the Fates dropped into her lap. The result was a hard-as-nails Commander and Chief of Torchwood who now had the love of her life in her lap against all odds, and she wanted more.

Her other hand decided more contact was needed, more skin to touch. She reached around and got her hand underneath his jacket and shirt and started a slow drag of her nails down his curved back, carefully missing his mole and finally rested on his bum, slowly massaging him there through his trousers, making him ravage her mouth more. She rejoiced as her heart did a flip, her pulse quickened and her hips lifted to meet his, grinding into his. Yes, Gods, yes!

Slowly, she felt Bad Wolf stir within her, awakened from the desire of finally finding its mate and she allowed it. Beginning to grow and glow from her chest, the energy gently radiated and surrounded them both. She felt the Doctor becoming aware of what was happening but she didn’t care. She was too far gone in the feelings of want and need she’d pent up so long for this man and she wanted it here and now, on this couch. Her hand resting on his bum insisted the Doctor finished what he started and she snaked it under his trousers and pressed his bum down harder between her legs, making it clear what she wanted.

“Rose….”

This wasn’t right, not now, he desperately thought. He fought his body’s urges as her name passed his lips but he couldn’t stop himself. What the hell was she doing to him?

She opened her eyes and the yellow Vortex energy coalesced and moved within and the Doctor’s hearts nearly stopped.

“Rose, we need to stop! Your eyes…”

Her voice, when she answered him, made him shudder with memory. “Oh, is Bad Wolf being bad or is she really being bad?” She smiled, and kissed his chin, his cheeks, and his eyes. “Love, allow us to live, to love you, and allow us to be…”

She kissed him solidly then, claiming his lips in a way that brokered no retort as the soft yellow light completely enveloped his body whole and suddenly he was one with the universe and yet, so was she, her energy and her very presence suddenly in him, around him, pleasuring him beyond words. His physical body reacted, jerking into hers repeatedly, his desperation for more unmindful of the clothes they wore.


Rose/Bad Wolf smiled as she intensified her light and both of their bodies reacted, as the orgasmic energy built to bright star shine and burst, the result making them suddenly begin jerking and spasming as they violently shuddered into their own orgasm. They clung madly, depserately to each other as the energy faded, their mouths locked into an open-mouthed kiss, breathing into each other as the faint call of a lone wolf faded into nothingness.

The Doctor was the first one to catch his breath and break their kiss, his body finally stilling into hers, his clothing warm, wet and gloriously sticking to his nether regions. “Rose……..”

She was able to catch her breath enough to answer him, but it came out as a whisper as her closed eyes refused to open. “Yeah, love?”

“Later….when you’ve had some rest, mind you…and I’ve sufficiently recovered…would you mind doing that again…without the clothes? Normally, I mean?”

She looked at him then and smiled wide. He was glad to note no vortex shown in her gaze as she answered him. “Oh, yeah….definitely, lot more skin contact, too...consider it a dead-lock promise and a date, my love…” She kissed his nose and suddenly realized what she said was said to a Time Lord, and laughed.

“What?”

“Date…Time Lord…” He couldn’t help himself, he laughed along with her, burying his head into her neck, smelling her hair again, his lips reveling in the taste of her skin on her neck at the spot just behind her ear. He nibbled and she purred.

The Doctor smiled and started nibbling down to the line of her jawbone. She loved the sensation, absolutely adored it but it suddenly occurred to her, in all of the time they’d been together, he didn’t mention the Tardis or anything from the Other Side. He had to have had another companion by now, but the concern for what he wasn't saying worried her. If he’d left a person or persons back with the Tardis, they had to get back soon. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and made him stop, forcing him to look at her.

“What?”

He looked down between them and then back up. “The trousers too much? Have you a bed sheet or something I can change into? I’ll wear a skirt, a kilt, anything for you, love.” He smiled his maniacal smile and rubbed his nose against hers but she remained unfazed.

"What aren't you telling me?"

The Doctor eyes widened, confused. "What?"

"Don't give me an innocent 'what?' and think I don't know. Who is she? You’ve left her all alone on the other side."

The Doctor's eyebrows furled together in confusion and he sat up, still staring at her. Who? Was she talking about, the Tardis?

Rose rolled her eyes and became all business. She propped herself up on her elbows, knowing he had to have been thinking about the Tardis or maybe her and the look she gave him broadcasted how much she’d thought he'd went mental. She decided to spell it out.

"You came to my rescue; Kateri made sure you'd come but you couldn't have been alone all this time. It's been nearly five years for me. Who've you've been traveling with?"

The Doctor's expression suddenly cleared with a barely uttered "Oh!" and sat back completely, allowing her to get into a proper seated position, mindful of his wet trousers. He grabbed a throw that was hanging off of the lounge chair and placed it across his groin. Saying nothing, he grabbed her legs and she allowed him to hold them in his lap. He took a few moments more before he answered, suddenly taking an interest in taking off her shoes. She only watched with a raised eyebrow, trying to be patient. He suddenly sighed, as if a weight descended on his shoulders and began to slowly speak.

"There was Donna for a trip, then Martha for a few and then I met up with Donna again and she's with me now. Donna admitted that she just couldn't handle my travelling when we met the first go round…after dealing with the Racnoss and all; she had every right to feel that way. I managed to ruin her wedding and make her a widow all in the same day, so I could understand that, but it was right after...." He took a breath and continued, "After that, I met up with Martha Jones and that was great but it became a bit complicated and she eventually left…and then I met up with Donna and she’s been brilliant.”

"What do you mean, ‘complicated’ with Martha?" Rose couldn’t believe someone would willfully leave him and the Tardis and all of the travelling to go back to a normal life.

“Well, she…she fell in love with me and I just couldn’t…I tried to dissuade her, but…she wasn’t you….” He looked up at her then and saw the old pain in his eyes and knew she couldn’t wipe it away, no more than what she could do for herself. She raised a hand and cupped his cheek and rubbed a thumb across his cheekbone.

“Go on, she left you…”

The Doctor shrugged and looked down. “And for awhile I travelled alone. Safer that way….but everywhere I went, I was still reminded of you. I finally met up with Donna and she forgave me and all. She’s turned out to be the best mate, besides you of course; been travelling with me ever since. She’s waiting for me now, on the other side.”

Knock, knock.

The sound came from the wall behind the Doctor. It was so faint that the Doctor's ears barely caught it and he knew Rose hadn't but she stopped speaking immediately as soon as she caught the expression on his face.

She mouthed to him a silent, 'What?' but he only shook his head and placed a finger to his lips. She nodded her head once and continued conversationally, "Well, that’s all well and good. I’m glad it worked out. As for you, I think you need a change......"

Her hands moved to help herself up and, eyebrows scrunched in question, he obliged, taking both of her hands and hauling her up. She wobbled a bit in his arms and he hissed into her ear, "What do you think you're doing? What-"

"And…I think I need to visit the loo....," She interrupted him with a shake of her head

The Doctor blew his frustration through his nose as a release and called out in the opposite direction, "I don’t think I can’t help you out there…propriety and all." Letting go of her long enough to tuck the throw around his hips, he grabbed her again and she nodded her head.

Rose turned in his arms and motioned towards the bedroom. "No...No. Don't bother to get up; I can make it, just watch me. Turn on the telly if you like, make yourself at home." Before they moved as one to the bedroom, she reached down to the end table and hit the remote that lay there and was thankful the evening news switched on, the announcer talking about the latest presidential visit. "The Canadian president spoke-"

"Now!" She hissed back into his ear. "In there."

They shuffled as one and made it into the bedroom. Closing the door behind them, Rose flopped down onto the bed with a bounce. The Doctor was about to speak again, when she raised her finger to her own lips and he was forced to stay mum until she had slid up to the top of the bed and hit another switch hidden underneath her nightstand.

"Now, talk Doctor, but before you do, open my closet door."

Completely bemused, the Doctor instead reached for the knob and turned it, opening it enough to look in but before he could, out popped Mickey, dressed in black and carrying a Glock and a backpack.

The Doctor eyed him. “Don’t you ever go off duty, Mickey-boy?”

Mickey ignored him. "Rose…good! I felt you switch on the suppression wave and Doctor, you can talk freely now. By the way…." He eyed the throw tied around the Doctor’s hips. “She isn’t called Bad Wolf for nothing. Told you, didn’t I?” He grinned and knew he was in trouble from the look the Doctor gave him.

“And how would you know?" Seeing the serious look from both Rose and Mickey, he threw his hands in the air. "Oh, nevermind, don't need to, not go there! How much did you hear, Mickey? Am I going to have to wash your ears out with soap? How thin are these walls?”

“It’s Torchwood, Doc. The walls are as thin as I want them to be. I came to tell you the status of the Void ship.”

"It's about bloody time!" He distastefully eyed Mickey's gun and grimaced. "Guns! Please remove?"

As Mickey tucked it back into his shoulder holster and secured the strap, the Doctor placed eyed the secret entrance to the bedroom and looked between Rose who lay on the bed with a hand over her eyes and Mickey, who stood smiling. He placed his hands on his hips and eyed them both. "That's better! Now, what the hell is going on! Are you two playing the Avengers, now, Mrs. Peel?"

Rose gave a mirthless laugh and stretched across her pillow, her hair spilling out across it as she closed her eyes, laying a hand across them, her exhaustion apparent in the circles that appeared there. She knew they were there just by how tired she felt; she didn’t need a mirror. Maybe, just maybe she shouldn’t have indulged in Bad Wolf sex, but she would never tell the Doctor. "I wish. What's up, Mickey?"

Mickey turned to the Doctor and fingered the strap to his holster, noting Rose’s movements and knew what it meant. "You better sit and take care of her. I'll be back in a mo'." He opened the door and disappeared, snicking the door behind him as gently as he could.

Rose peeked through her lashes and saw the Doctor's exasperated look and knew she'd better start explaining. "Doctor, even though I live in the Torchwood Tower and being the C & C, I never gave it a second thought to the bugs in my rooms. Remember the groups I told you about before, the ones providing the financial backing? They like to know everything that’s going on. It made my privacy an issue, especially when I needed to talk to one of my men without the risk of being overheard, so I had R & D install countermeasures to the bugs so that I could be able to do what I'm doing right now, without being overheard or interrupted.”

She looked to the closed door and the Doctor knew she was thinking of Mickey. “Mickey only comes around through the tunnels when he has something urgent to tell me and the rest of the building doesn’t need to know.” Sleep was claiming her, her eyelids were becoming heavier by the second, but she had to know. “OK now? Are we good?"

Shocked and realizing that their tryst on the couch might have been broadcast over the whole of Torchwood, he sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, we’re good. Great! Hope this place enjoyed Time Lord Porn…”

After a few moments, he glanced back at her to get her reaction and saw she was asleep, a slight smile gifting her features. His exasperation of recent events melted as he witnessed this and got up to place a kiss on her forehead, brushing a lock of beloved blonde hair behind an ear. He took off the throw that had been slowly falling off his hips and placed it over her legs and waist. Placing another light kiss on her lips, he was about to step away and go to the bathroom to clean up when Mickey popped his head in the door, smiling.

The Doctor raised a finger, but Mickey waved him off and whispered, “Clean yourself up mate and come out here to the living room. Her pants are in the closet, and, if the lot doesn’t fit, she’s got a dressing gown in the bathroom. I’m getting some food together out here. We have to talk and we need a proper sit-down and we can’t do it on empty stomachs.” He abruptly disappeared, leaving the Doctor with hands on his hips, wondering what details of the Void ship they had to talk about that was so urgent to be delivered late night on Rose’s first night home.

He hadn’t made it halfway to the bathroom before Mickey popped his head in again to whisper, “Hurry up, we haven’t got all night!”

He disappeared again and this time the Doctor was tempted to throw something at him in his wake but, eyeing his sleeping Rose, he relinquished to his better judgment and shook his head. Some things never changed…..

Chapter 6






Loathing to leaving Rose's side, he quickly made it to the ship's door and palmed it. As it swished open, his ears caught the sound of multiple clicks of various triggers going off before he saw said guns pointing at him at chest level. He shoved both hands in to his pockets, and said, "Oh!"

"Doctor!' Mickey's surprised voice greeted his ears as the Doctor's eyes scanned the mini-platoon of militia standing before him. The Doctor smiled as he finally spied him at the middle of the crowd, holding his gun high.

"Hello, Mickey! Are we in time for the party?"

Mickey brought his gun down and pushed his way past his men. "Men, stand down. At ease." Once he'd made it forward, he was a foot in front of the Doctor and eyed him suspiciously. "It's been 4 hours; you're early. Where's Rose? What's happened? What about the Gorgon?"

The Doctor continued smiling, ticking off with his fingers, his tone automatically switching to lecture mode. "A) Inside, out of danger and resting comfortably, B) incapacitated by way of sensory overload; I’ll explain later. And, C? Why don't you grab the lovely doctor and nurse that were here earlier so that they can fetch Rose. She needs a proper recovery." He smiled wider, ignoring Mickey's perplexed look.

"Out of Danger? Really?" Mickey quickly absorbed what the Doctor implied and smiled. "Only you. I’m already ahead of you for once and can do one better." He lifted his arm into the air, made a fist, then circled his hand and pointed into the ship. His men and a small medical contingent coming out of know where surged forward as they answered his silent command. His men went around them both, entering the ship with guns raised. Mickey wiggled his eyebrows as the medical personnel went through but the Doctor became distracted as he eyed the guns distastefully as he watched them pass. "Oi! No need for that! Watch the guns...-come on!"

Mickey shouldered his gun, his expression suddenly serious. "You didn't say what happened."

He caught Mickey's eye and answered him as he grabbed his elbow and maneuvered them both out of the way as he heard the squeak of a gurney coming closer and a second gurney entered the ship pushed by another nurse. He leaned in and spoke low into Mickey's ear. "Suffice it to say, Kateri, Kateri of the mighty and formerly omnipotent Gorgon race, couldn't handle close, intimate contact."

Mickey watched as his men brought out Kateri, a burn mark evident on her chest. "Uh-huh. And the stone?"

The Doctor took a hand out of his pants pocket and flicked the stone up and caught it in mid-air. "Safe."

He shoved it back into his pocket and looked into the ship as his eyes followed the nurses and doctors that were entering. "Mickey, do me a favor? Don't let too many prying eyes into the ship? It's Gallifreyan. It wouldn't do for my people's advanced technology to lie about and be some winsome scientist's plaything."

Mickey did a double-take. "Humph! You know who you're talking too? I'm Head of Security for Torchwood and the love of your life is the Commander and Chief." He pointed downward. "Torchwood! You think we're the only ones that have pull around here? Look around. Since the Cybermen, this Torchwood is run by a mini-contingent of Douglas Adams’s that need to pull their ties and scratch an itch before they can edit a decision or approve it, once Rose and I have a go. Oh, and let’s not get started on the budget? I know what you're sayin', but it might be harder than you think."

It was Rose's turn to come out and the Doctor's eyes couldn't help but follow as she went past, the itch to hold her hand making his fingers twitch. His hand came out of his pocket of its own volition and the nurse pushing the gurney stopped. He gently smiled as he brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and bent down to place a kiss on her lips. The public display of affection took Mickey by surprise. He looked down at Rose and witnessed the peaceful expression on her face and everything fell into place. Mickey felt an emotional cement block drop from his heart. Her sleeping features glowed; she seemed at peace. His best friend looked the most peaceful in all the years he'd known her since crossing the void, and he allowed himself a smile. Now, if she'd just wake up, he'd thump the Doctor personally on the back for a resounding success.

The Doctor took his hand away from her cheek, breaking Mickey's reverie, and the action caused the nurse with an apologetic smile to push the gurney forward. Mickey watched the Doctor eyes follow them as they wheeled down the hallway and knew he didn't need to be here. Despite her unconscious state, Mickey could almost see the tether between them and shook his head.

He placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and nodded his head toward the disappearing gurney. "Man, go to her. She's gonna want to see your face when she wakes up. There ain't nothin' to do now but wait. Make it real and stay with her. I'll make sure you get something to eat and drink and get some rest. We'll talk about getting you both to the other side when she's able."

The Doctor didn't look at Mickey as he answered him. His voice was light but his words weren't. "Oh? You talk about getting to the other side like its done everyday. I could reverse the stream Kateri used to get me here and go back through the computer anagram but I don't know whether it would handle two travelers." Before Mickey could answer, he continued in a low voice, "You think she's going to give this all up and leave with me? Just like that? She's Rose, Dame Rose of the Powell Estates and Defender of the Earth...Not to mention the C & C of Torchwood." He hunched his shoulders and looked at the floor, but raised his head and looked into Mickey's eyes, bemused. "I still have to figure out how she contacted me." He shoved his other hand in his pocket, his expression solemn, brooding. His promised of never letting her go weighed heavily on him, knowing Donna and his Tardis waited on the other side, both of them worrying in their own way.

Mickey just stared at him and then after a moment, barked out a laugh and dropped his arm. "Man, where have you been? You've got a Gallifreyan Void ship that can skip universes. And Rose…she's got a bit of Bad Wolf left in her. As for worrying about up and leaving, she did last time you showed up, didn't she?" He shook his head and walked off, barking orders and quickly getting lost in the milieu, leaving the Doctor with a surprised look on his face. It slowly melted away to a smile as Mickey's words settled in. "'Bad Wolf?' And...I do have a Void ship, don't I?"






The Doctor was dreaming about flying pink toads with red lipstick wearing tutu's made of shimmering opal and star shine, when a tug on an ear shattered his concentration on what they were trying to tell him. With a lasting 'oink!,' he cracked an eyelid to see what woke him on such a monumental occasion of finally breaking the Pink Code of the Talking Toads when the smiling face of Rose Tyler, her hand caught in his hair in mid-ruffle, made him crack the other eye open and instantly squinted at the bright morning sunshine streaming in behind her. For a moment, she looked as if the sunshine was part of her aura when reality broke in 2.3 seconds later as he realized she wasn't supposed to be out of bed.

"Oi! What's this?" He got up on his elbows and looked around, instantly taking in his surrounds. Closed hospital door shut out the hospital bustle and early morning sunshine blinding him momentarily as he shifted his sight around to take in Rose, who sat shoulder-level with the bed he'd been crashing in for the last three days. He peered over the edge and saw she was in a wheel chair.

"I see someone's been out and about. Doing wheelies in the hallway?" He gave her a wide smile that nearly his own grumpiness.

"That's 'oot and aboot,' Mister-this-is-impossible-I'll-never-be-able-to-cross-the-Void-because-it world-rip-the-universes-apart, Doctor, sir. How dare you defy you own words."

He leaned over on one arm and ran a long finger down the side of her face, smiling into her eyes and his own crinkling in merriment. "I officially rescind the word 'impossible.' Hello."

She raised her arms and placed them on the bed, bringing her face closer to his and smiled back. "Hello."

Before he could stop himself, his hand traveled to the back of her head and he leaned down for a kiss. Rose raised herself up to meet him and their lips met, the warmth of her lips inciting an instant shiver down his spine. If he had any doubts on whether she missed him or not, they were soundly squashed as she took over the kiss, deepening it to the point he was sorely tempted to kick in his respiratory bypass.

Her hands ran through his hair as she devoured his lips and tongue, tasting and playing with him as her tongue glided and tickled all the little spots he'd forgotten he'd had. It made him shutter to his toes and belatedly realized it was probably a good thing he was still in bed with a thin blanket covering him or he'd be the one weak in the knees right now and it wouldn't be from artron deficiency.

With a sigh that whispered and mingled with his own, she broke the kiss gently and rested her cheek against his as her hands settled to the back of his neck and continued to play with into his hair; her fingers rubbing the spot at the base of his neck that made him want to purr.

"Rose?"

Somehow she'd gotten closer and was now nibbling the spot where his, if he were human, carotid artery pulsed and felt himself melting further into her hands like putty.

"Hhhhmmm?" She started nipping at the spot with her teeth and his hands shook along with his voice, as he tried to answer her.

"Uh, we're...uh, we're in a hospital....and you're supposed to be convale-uh, getting better...and this....Oh, Gods! This feels good…Rose....." His resolve officially turned to goo.

It was at this moment the door flew open and chinked against the wall, making them both jump two inches. The attending physician stood before them with a clipboard in hand, surprise written across his features like a bad telegraph. "AND...how are we feeling...?"

Rose was the first to recover as she leaned back, releasing him and tucked a bit of blonde hair behind an ear as she smiled, not the least embarrassed. "Hello, Doctor Anderson. Feeling a bit chipper at the moment. Doctor Ellison and the morning nurse already approved me for getting up and about and I’ve eaten a full breakfast. How's you're morning going?" She placed her elbows on the arms of the chair and folded her hands in her lap, giving her snog-mate a conspiratorial nod of her head and a wink.

"I can see that. Well....looks like the two months of physical therapy we had programmed for you kept you muscles well toned." He placed the clipboard down on the little table that hovered above the Doctor's feet and pointedly looked at their lips.

The Doctor gave Rose a private smile and got up into an Indian-style sitting position, if only to hide the effects of Rose snogging him senseless.

"Good Morning, Doctor Anderson, is it? What's the status of our beloved C & C? Are you going to run some more tests?"

The doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Why? Doctor, whatever you did to bring her out of her catatonia, it worked. What tests we've run has shown no residual malaise whatsoever in cerebral activity. Motor skills, cognitive ability, everything is as it should be. Not to be said for later, of course. I'm sure you'll be watching for any anomalies? If it wasn't for her slight residual weakness in her legs from just laying in bed all day, I'd release her in a heartbeat." He followed his words with a smile and Rose grimaced back, finally sticking her tongue out at him which only made Doctor Anderson laugh.

The Doctor watched this and raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. "Oi! You kiss me with that mouth..."

A gentleman dressed in military fatigues came into the room and had papers and pen in hand, pointedly looked at Rose. His presence placed a damper on the room and Rose shook her head.

"Come in, Riggs. I see my administrative duties have caught up with me." Rose smiled and reached out, winking at the Doctor and Riggs responded with a smile and stepped forward, handing her the papers and a pen. She took a moment to read them over and a frown formed. She raised her head to stare at Riggs. "Is this right? You're wanting to take the Void ship apart for study and you want my permission to do it?" Before he could respond, she threw papers at Rigg's chest, who could only stare at her in shock.

It was at this moment she put both arms on the chair and raised herself out of it until she was in a standing position. The Doctor, surprised at her actions, threw of the blanket and brought his feet around to touch the floor, his hands instantly at her shoulders in case she fell. “Rose, for God’s sake…it’s too early!”

She batted his hands away and managed to stand on her own, all be it a bit wobbly. “Leave it!” The Doctor dropped his hands away, knowing how stubborn she could be and knew this was something she had to do for herself. Personally, he was thrilled at her movements, but he wasn’t going to begin to be happy for Riggs.

With her stance steady, she looked up at Riggs then and anger suffused her features. She used the bed as she slowly made her way around to stand in front of Riggs."Bloody hell! I'm awake and cognizant for 2.5 hours and you want to take my command from me? Tell Jones and Brighton I want to see them now and I do mean yesterday! And Riggs?"

Riggs gulped and stood at attention, his eyes looking at the ceiling. "Yes ma'am?"

"Look at me." When his eyes met hers she smiled and for a moment, the Doctor saw the Wolf shining through. Her voice became quieter as she spoke until it was a whisper. "Tell them, they are to do nothing or, if they ignore that, I will personally flay the first person who lays a hand on that ship with my bare hands. Got it?"

She nodded her head once and Riggs realized he was dismissed. He seemed a bit shaken and gave a crisp salute and, with a heel to toe movement, he pivoted and walked out as fast as her could.

Doctor Anderson 'harrumphed' and broke the silence left tin Riggs' wake. "Well, Commander Tyler, it looks like you're back to normal."

Rose hung her head and suddenly seemed deflated. She brought herself about and rested two fists on the bed, momentarily propping herself. "Doctor Anderson, what's normal around here, anyway?" She looked up into the Doctor's eyes and suddenly felt older than her years and the realization gave her an inkling of what the love of her life must feel like all the time. As she continued to stare into his eyes, she knew she hadn't mentioned it to the Doctor yet, but she'd made her decision almost as soon as she'd awaken that morning.

She reached out a hand without asking, and the Doctor took it without answering. Her eyes pleaded with him not to say anything and the Doctor nodded his head once, understanding. He gathered her to him and held her in his arms, resting his chin and cheek into her hair.

After a few moments, she lifted her head away from him and back to Doctor Anderson. "When are you releasing me, Doctor? I'd actually like to go now, with all due and reasonable haste, if you know what I mean?"

"Understandable, Commander, but you still need to gain strength in legs that haven't been fully utilized in almost two and a half months." He pointedly looked at her legs and she looked down to find the Doctor was all but supporting her standing.

The Doctor pivoted her so that she came to rest on the bed and he lifted her up so that she sat. He took her hand and smiled and Rose squeezed back and closed her eyes. "Doctor Anderson, with or without you, I'm leaving. I have work to do and you can bloody well scream to high heaven to try and keep me here, but the Doctor here will insure I get the best help necessary in the interim. I thank you for everything, but I've got to go. Those wanting to dismantle the one ship that can get us home are mental and I won't have it."

"Well, who am I to argue with the Commander and Chief of Torchwood?“ Doctor Anderson picked up his clipboard and made a few quick notes on it, the scratching of the pen the only sound in the room. When he was done, he looked up and smiled a sad smile. "Godspeed to you, then. It was an honor meeting you Doctor, and Boss, it was great working with you. Consider yourself released."

As she watched him go, the Doctor tugged on her hand, his expression so serious that it reminded her of the last minute they were together at Bad Wolf Bay. "Rose, are you sure about this? I mean, getting up and about? Leaving all this..."

She reached up and grabbed for his other hand and tugged him forward so that by the time she was done, she had him up in the bed with her and they were lying face to face. Her head settled on the pillow of his arm and said with as much conviction as she could muster, "Doctor, I've never been more sure my whole life, other than when I made the decision to travel with you. If you'll have me, I want to come back. I want to come back home, to the Tardis. I want to come home to you."

Her voice sounded so tired, so worn, he automatically drew her closer and sent a prayer of thanks to Rassilon and every other god and Demi-God that actually took the patience to hear a prayer uttered so sparingly from his lips.

“Rose, how can you even question that? I’d take you back. I was about to steal you back but it looks like you just made my job easier.”

He felt her lips curl into a smile against his cheek and her intake of breath as she was about to speak and he took a quarter of a second to glory in it. “Just? I should have put a fight then, just for show…but, tell me. I need to know, what I felt, saw while I was unconscious, it wasn’t a dream was it? Kateri and the ship, the pain she inflicted, it was all real, wasn’t it?”

He leaned back a couple of inches to look into her face and the unspoken questions that still lingered and he smiled. “Rose, it was as real as the chains that held you. It was as real as me holding you in my arms right now and it was as real as my telling you that I love you now and forever. There is no more the Doctor plus one. We. Us. A couple, doing domestic as sadly as everyone else around, but you know what?”

She smiled at him, her eyes getting misty. “What?”

He took his arm from under her head and lifted himself so that he was hovering above her, punctuating his words with kisses across her eyes, her lips and her cheeks. “We are the Doctor and Rose, the Stuff of Legends and the Defenders of the Universe. Nothing can stop us now….

The loud noise from the vicinity of the hospital door made them both look up in mid-kiss.

“Brighton and Jones, reporting as ordered Commander! You wanted to discuss the Void ship?”

Rose let his lips go and gave him a devilish wink. “You were saying about nothing? We’ll continue this at my flat.” She whispered. When he groaned, she punched his arm. “Don’t think you’re getting out of my sight, mister! You’re officially attached to the C & C’s hip for the remainder of the day.”

The Doctor allowed her to get up, but not without a quick kiss to the lips and a whispered, “Ooooh, I think I’m gonna like this.”